Past Peripheral Vision
by Nadyell
Summary: She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. SasukeSakura.
1. Voluntarily Blinded

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter One – Voluntarily Blinded

Warm tan eyes looked at the figure hunched before her, a girl with short pink hair that suited her better than long, rose colored tresses. A girl who had a simple sleeveless dress styled much like the dress of her Genin days but bigger to fit her more womanly body. A girl that had fingerless red metal plated gloves that reached just an inch or two above her elbows. A girl with her hitai-ate in her hand, the engraved symbol of Konoha facing her darkened jade eyes. Her pink hair was covering her eyes, covering the swirling green that was hazed with frustration. The owner of the tan eyes understood why she was like that. After all, she had just made one of the most painful decisions of her life, letting go, resigning to the fact that she could probably never be more than a friend to him.

The pink haired girl had gone to her, the Godaime Hokage of Konoha, as well as her master, for advice. She had knocked on the door and surprisingly, the Godaime had answered it herself, only to be greeted by a crying face and the pink haired girl latching onto her for support. Her parents couldn't understand the predicament she was in as her problem related to her life as a kunoichi. Her parents were merely civilians. She, as the Godaime Hokage, had suggested to her to train her senses, to blind herself voluntarily to see the world in a different light as well as to hone her other senses. She couldn't be dependent on her sight alone to merely see. There were some things that went beyond peripheral vision. The pink haired girl was frustrated because she didn't want to blind herself but she did. It was either one or the other.

"I can't do it, Tsunade-shishou," mourned the girl as she curled her body together, dropping her hitai-ate on the floor as she continued crying. She didn't need to cry this hard because of him once more. She did four years ago when she was still a Genin. She was a Chuunin now and had been for quite some time. "I just can't…" she whispered as tears continued to fall to the wooden floor. This was the third time she was crying because of him. She cried four years ago to make him stay in Konoha. She cried a year ago when they brought him back from Orochimaru's clutches. She was crying now because of a lost love. He still would not recognize her feelings for him and she was tired of waiting. If she couldn't be with him, she would be with no other. She loved him too much for that but she couldn't take the hurt anymore.

"Look, Sakura, I'm not forcing you to do this but thinking of something else other than him will do you some good," said Tsunade as she made the pink haired girl face her. Picking up the fallen hitai-ate, Tsunade gave the blue cloth to her. "Put this around your eyes, cover them. Hide from the illusions of the day and hone your other senses. Train, train to fight this feeling of despair," spoke Tsunade as she stood up straight, "And I will help you, I promise you that much. I can't be the one to break down the walls you're trying to destroy to create a new path for yourself. I, however, can help you. The Jounin Exams are next year and will be held here in Konoha. Train and ready yourself for it. I'm sure you will pass and become a Jounin Konoha can be proud of. You don't have to decide now. When you come to me tomorrow, tell me your decision then." Sakura nodded as she stood up slowly, shakily. Hugging the Godaime once more, she excused herself and began walking back to her own home.

Her walk home was silent as she focused her jade green eyes on the ground. She felt miserable inside but she knew she had to make a choice. It was to help her see her life in a new light, besides strengthen her. Becoming a Jounin seemed promising. It meant more and harder missions to help her avert her gaze towards him and him alone. He was a Chuunin just like her but a fairly new one, as it took a few months to regain the trust of Konoha in him. Knowing his nature, he would enter the Jounin Exams next year and become a Jounin, possibly in the ANBU. Gripping her hitai-ate even tighter, she took a right. As she wasn't focusing on who was in front of her, she bumped into someone. Opening her mouth to apologize, she shut it tightly. It was him. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Clearly, it was an uncomfortable situation, even for the great Uchiha Sasuke.

"Don't say anything, Sasuke-kun. I've cried enough for you already," said Sakura as she looked up at him, willing herself to keep the tears locked inside of her. At least while she was in his presence. She didn't want him to see her fragility, the fragility he so mocked when they were younger. "Tsunade-shishou told me that starting tomorrow; I could train with my blindfold wrapped around my eyes, depending on my other senses to see instead of my eyes. It's so different from you and your Sharingan right? You're wholly dependent on it," said Sakura bitterly as she continued looking at him with an even gaze. "Sasuke-kun, I want you to be the last one I see before I shut my eyes. Grant me at least that honor before I stop chasing you and we remain friends," she said, her voice strained.

"Aa," he replied softly, his onyx eyes gazing at her piercing jade, bloodshot ones. Suddenly, Sakura pressed her lips against his, her arms pulling his head down to share her first and last bittersweet kiss with him. Pulling away, Sakura fled from him, her tears finally falling. Unconsciously, his fingers touched his lips, his eyes following her figure. Why, when she had kissed him, did his heart wrench with an unimaginable amount of pain and sorrow? Wasn't she just a friend to him, his most precious one but a friend nonetheless? No matter how much he wanted their relationship to grow, he was simply not the right man for her. He was an avenger and no one could tell when he'd simply leave to kill his brother, not even himself. She deserved someone she could always go home to. Not a wanderer like himself. "Sakura… I'm sorry," he whispered, his first and last apology since his Clan had died.

The Next Day

Tsunade watched Sakura as she stumbled to the forest floor. She had left Shizune a note saying that tomorrow; she'd complete the day's work. She had specifically asked not to be disturbed today unless it was a matter that could not wait under any circumstance. Today was the day Sakura was going to get used to having the hitai-ate wrapped around her face, shielding her eyes from the light. Tsunade had said she could remove it was when she was taking a bath, in order to wash her face and for fifteen minutes every day, she wouldn't have it on. Her eyes had to be used, to assure that they would still be able to see even after the training she would undergo. Sakura had learned all that there was to know about medical jutsu, studying them for four years after all. This training would be for her Tai Jutsu over her Nin and Gen Jutsu. Occasionally, she would be given a scroll to read and study, allowing use for her eyes but that would be very rarely.

"Sakura, stand up! You won't be able to train if you can't even walk properly with the hitai-ate around your face!" barked out Tsunade as her student rose for the tenth time in the morning. It was only six-thirty and she had fallen so many times. Their training had started thirty minutes ago. Struggling, the pink haired Chuunin stood up. She had never realized it would be this hard, that she would suffer drastically because of it. "Sakura, if you can make it through today with ease, we can begin the actual training tomorrow," shouted out Tsunade to the girl. Sakura groaned. She had forgotten it wasn't even the beginning and she was already having a difficult time. Struggling, she stood up and continued walking around; trying to get used to the fact that she had voluntarily blinded herself.

Up in the trees, a certain figure was watching. He had followed her, curious as to what she would do in her life now that he was out of the picture. He had sighed with relief at that prospect but something in him just kept on reminding the remaining Uchiha that she wasn't merely another person that he knew. He kept shrugging it off, thinking that it was better for her to train herself more than focusing her time and attention on him. After all, she was still the weakest among the three of them. Of course she had grown much stronger over time but she was still significantly weak compared to them. Glancing down, he couldn't help but wince in pain. She had fallen to the ground quite a number of times in training he would never subject himself to. Yet, she was determined to complete the task. Rising, he decided to leave before they noticed his presence.

Hours had passed and Sakura had already started getting used to the idea of depending on her other senses to help her "see". She had noticed during this morning alone that everything around her emanated some sort of power, no matter how weak it was. The thrumming of energy from everything was different. A tree five meters to her right emanated a sharp power compared to a tree fifteen meters dead ahead of her. She had almost bumped the tree but she had stopped right in front of it, as if she had seen it. Taking a couple of steps to the right, Sakura had walked past the tree, her left arm brushing slightly against the trunk. A smile found its way to Tsunade's face as she noted Sakura's progress. It was almost noon and she had been training on this for nearly six hours. She was a fast learner that much she could say.

"Sakura, we can stop for now. Let's go to Ichiraku and then have a bowl of ramen. Afterwards, we can continue your training," said Tsunade as the pink haired girl stopped in front of her. Stretching out an arm, Tsunade grasped Sakura's hand and laid it across her own outstretched one. "You can rest for now. You did a great job being able to get used to stationary obstacles in just six hours, my dear," said Tsunade good-naturedly as she began to lead the pink haired girl to the ramen stall Naruto loved. Sakura blushed, the redness of her cheeks visible even beneath the hitai-ate. As a kunoichi, she could feel others gaze at her for she was so close to the Godaime, her eyes shielded from the outside world by the hitai-ate. "Oh look, it's Naruto," said Tsunade with a wry grin. The blonde bounced over towards Tsunade and Sakura the minute he saw their figures.

"Sakura-chan! Tsunade-baa-chan!" greeted Naruto enthusiastically as he waved. He had grown taller than Sakura by a couple of inches but the pink haired girl was by no means short. Sasuke was still the second tallest among the four of them in Team Seven but that mattered little to Naruto. Seeing her hitai-ate around her face instead of its customary place, acting like a headband, Naruto frowned. "Sakura-chan, why are you wearing your hitai-ate like a blindfold?" asked Naruto, confused as he stretched out his hand to prod the metal plate. Sakura instinctively darted her hand out and stopped his finger, an inch away from the hitai-ate. "Tell me!" prodded Naruto dropping his hand, his body slouching, as he pouted visibly.

"Training, Naruto, she's training," said Tsunade with a triumphant grin, "Unlike Jiraiya, I at least train my student regularly and teach her things she ought to know. Jiraiya's probably doing things I shouldn't be mentioning." Tsunade's lips twitched in annoyance as the mere thought of the Toad Master irked her. Naruto looked at Tsunade, still confused as to why Sakura was blindfolded. "It's to hone her other senses, so she won't be wholly dependent on her vision. It's also for her Tai Jutsu training. After all, an enemy shinobi won't always attack up front," explained Tsunade in more simple terms so the fox boy could understand.

Naruto simply nodded as he dragged the two of them to sit down beside him as he had lunch. Naruto was on his second bowl the minute the two females sprouted into view. Tsunade simply ordered a bowl of miso ramen while Sakura ordered chicken ramen. The pink haired girl had slight difficulty in breaking the chopsticks and putting the food into her mouth. Naruto offered to help her but Sakura was stubborn. She'd have to get used to the idea of eating with her eyes blindfolded and she didn't anyone to try and help her while she was in the initial stages. Naruto nodded understandingly as he continued to eat his third bowl of ramen. Conversation was pretty casual during the duration of their lunch. Sakura had managed to hit her cheek with the warm noodles a couple of times but after a few minutes, she had gotten used to feeding herself with her eyes closed. The experience was pretty enjoyable until Sakura tensed. He was nearby. She just always knew, even if her eyes were open.

He seated himself at the far end of the stall. Naruto looked quizzically at Sakura who had not greeted him with her usual "Sasuke-kun!" and a squeal of joy followed soon after. She merely continued eating her ramen as if he was never there. Sasuke didn't seem bothered by that. In fact, he seemed mildly calm as he got a bowl of miso ramen for himself. Noticing their silence, Naruto decided to not press any further. Tsunade seemed to know what was up so he'd ask her about it later, when they were alone. He didn't want to upset Sakura. However, one look at the Godaime told him even she wouldn't say. He resorted to asking Sasuke about it when the two females left to wherever they were headed, be it separately or together so Sakura could train even further.

"Sakura, let's go, you still have a lot of training left to do," said Tsunade briskly as she stood up. Sakura nodded slowly as she stood up, tucking stray strands of her rose colored tresses behind her ear. "Good afternoon to you, Naruto, Sasuke." With that, Tsunade began walking back to the forest with Sakura at her heels. She knew the pink haired girl was uncomfortable with Sasuke's presence. Naruto's ocean blue eyes followed the figures of the two females as they walked back to where they had come from earlier. Fishing out some money, Naruto paid for his three bowls of ramen. Looking at Sasuke who had just begun to eat, Naruto glared at him, forgetting about his unfinished third bowl. Raising an eyebrow, Sasuke stopped and looked at him with a questioning gaze.

"What do you want, dobe?" asked Sasuke simply as he continued to eat, not minding the glares Naruto was throwing at him. Naruto bombarded him with questions about Sakura. Why didn't she greet him? Why was she uncomfortable with his presence? Surely the Uchiha would know because he was involved in it, after all. "She's decided to concentrate on her training, as you've noticed dobe," said Sasuke without beating around the bush, "And she's decided to stop concentrating on me. We're just friends now, nothing more and certainly nothing less." Naruto frowned as he mumbled that if Sasuke did anything more to hurt her, he would beat him up. "I'd like to see you try," said Sasuke dryly as he continued to eat his ramen. The blonde fumed as he decided to just leave. He was losing his appetite by just being near Sasuke. He would have gladly just left Sasuke in Orochimaru's clutches if this was how the Uchiha would turn out but he didn't want Sakura to be upset. He made a promise of a lifetime to Sakura's first and only request to bring Sasuke back to Konoha, after all.

In the forest, Tsunade and Sakura had continued training. The pink haired girl's brow furrowed, unnoticeable due to the hitai-ate wrapped around her face. Stray strands of her rose colored tresses spilled down to her face much to her annoyance. She would have to fix that later by either getting another cloth of roughly the same dimensions as her hitai-ate to act like a head band or she could always clip back her bangs. Her mind was totally focused on the task at hand. She was determined to complete as much as she could with her time left with Tsunade. She was grateful that the Hokage had taken one day off to help her start this new training of hers and she wouldn't let her master down with half-meant or mediocre efforts and results.

Besides that, Sasuke's presence in Ichiraku drove Sakura to work harder. Tsunade was satisfied with her ability to simply walk without bumping into anything that Sakura had graduated to trying to dodge moving objects. The Godaime was throwing rocks at her at varying intervals. Sakura had been barely able to dodge even a couple of rocks for the first couple of hours. It was half past three in the afternoon and Sakura was slowly getting the hang of it. Slowly, she had been dodging more and more rocks that the Godaime had decided to speed it up a little. It was almost seven when they had stopped. Tsunade was impressed with Sakura's progress for today. They had been training for six hours in the morning with only a total of fifteen minutes break. In those six hours, Sakura had managed to learn how to walk without bumping into anything. After lunch, they had trained for six and a half hours with a total of fifteen minutes break. She was determined to finish the training with fruitful results.

"Wonderful work, Sakura," said Tsunade, extremely pleased with her student's resolve to learning the basics of living blindfolded. Sakura blushed slightly as she nodded, happy to be able to please Tsunade with what she had accomplished this day. "Since I can't always be with you to supervise your training, I made an exercise regimen for you. I have appointed a Jounin, Mikizuki Aya, to keep watch over your training in my place," said Tsunade as she approached Sakura and handed her a slip of paper. "Obviously, you can't read that with the blindfold on so I'll entrust you to give it to Aya first thing tomorrow morning. She'll pick you up at your house at six tomorrow," continued the Godaime. Sakura nodded obediently. "I'm proud of you today, Sakura. Keep up the good work," praised Tsunade sincerely as she patted the girl's shoulders, "I'll see you next time and I expect you to continue this." With that, Tsunade was gone.

"Yes, Tsunade-shishou," whispered Sakura with a slight smile as she wheeled around and began walking back home. She was more confident now in walking blindfolded. She was more confident now that she would get over him. It was true, what Tsunade had told her. There were some things that went far beyond what the eyes could see. Being infatuated with Uchiha Sasuke was probably one of those stages. She was still his friend, no doubt about that but she didn't seem to mean anything beyond that. One day, she could face him with a straight face and greet him a casual good morning before she would rush off to do whatever else that needed to be done. One day, she'd have the courage to look at their team picture saying they were the friends that had stuck by her through thick and thin during her Genin days. One day, she would be able too look at him and say they were simply friends.

**Tsuzuku…**

Ah! This is another Naruto fanfic from me. This time, it's set in the real Naruto world with real events happening such as the betrayal of Sasuke and such. Sakura has definitely grown as a kunoichi in this one.

Sasuke has finally pushed Sakura to the limit with his rejections so she decides to blind herself, with the hitai-ate around her face, to hone her other senses and strengthen herself further in her Tai Jutsu. Mind you, she can already see a little bit with her eyes closed but Tsunade is training her to use her other senses before jumping into anything with this training. Plus, it's symbolic.

It's symbolic because when she voluntarily blindfolded herself, it shows that she won't look at things through the simple use of her peripheral, or external, vision. She'll see things through before judging anything and that's exactly how it'll be with her love life now.

Sasuke, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be affected by all this. Well, at least not yet.

Like all my other Naruto fanfics before this, here's the chapter preview!

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Two – A Casual Hello

**Chapter Preview:** Sakura's heart stopped momentarily, wrenching with pain as she sensed his presence. He was probably twenty meters away in the busy marketplace, stopping every once in a while to look at some things. He was probably trying to fill his pantry today. Gulping, she clenched her fists together tightly as her heart pounded against her rib cage. She couldn't move at all as he came closer and closer towards where she was standing. The wind was cold against her skin, flushed due to the heat of the bright sun. Moments later, he was lingering in the stall next to where she was standing. Looking up, he saw her standing there. "Sakura," he acknowledged casually before looking back down at the wares of the stall, a few ryo clutched in his hand.


	2. A Casual Hello

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Two – A Casual Hello

Sakura had a slight smile on her face as she snuggled deeper under the covers. Her parents did not ask her about the reason she was wearing her hitai-ate around her face, covering her eyes. They had automatically assumed it was a special kind of training assigned to her by the Godaime herself. Sakura was at least thankful for that. Twisting slightly, she faced the ceiling, her eyes still closed. She had used her fifteen minutes to look for a long strip of paper and traced out characters she could cut around. She didn't have enough to actually cut the blank are between one line and the other making the character whole. She would have to do that. She had written _'I will get over you.'_ On the paper and would post it near her door, feeling out the black spaces of the characters before she'd go. Her fingertips touched the cold metal of her hitai-ate. The cloth had dried out after her shower, setting the hitai-ate beneath a powerful lamp. Turning on her side, Sakura hugged a pillow closer, allowing her tired, aching muscles the chance to rest.

The next morning, Sakura had gone down the stairs with slight difficulty. She scraped her knee on the wooden railing, much to her mother's worry. Sakura laughed nervously as she used her chakra to close the wound, telling her mother she didn't need to worry. She was a doctor, so to speak, but one who specialized in the use of chakra to regenerate and heal rather than traditional medicine. Her mother laughed slightly, forgetting about her daughter's training under the Godaime momentarily. Breakfast had gone smoothly, a regular family occasion with the exception of the daughter voluntarily sightless. Sakura didn't need to remove her hitai-ate to see the worried glances her parents threw at her every once in a while. Opening her mouth, she spoke.

"Okaa-san, Otou-san, don't worry," said Sakura as she rested her hands on her lap. The balls of her palms pressed down on her lap, her fingers spread out as she bent her head down, her pink hair spilling over slightly, covering her face. Her parents looked at each other before looking back at Sakura. "This training is important to me. I'm going to try out for the Jounin Exams next year here in Konoha, or so Tsunade-shishou has told me," informed Sakura as she lifted her head, a smile on her face, "So please support me until then." Her parents breathed a sigh of relief. So their assumptions were true. She was training. Breakfast continued smoothly after Sakura had spoken of her voluntary blindness until a knock on the kitchen door. She assumed it was exactly six in the morning. The day in the Haruno household usually started early anyway.

"Good morning," said a feminine voice, tresses of goldenrod hair that fell straight covered her face pleasantly, the locks reaching slightly below her shoulder blades. "My name is Mikizuki Aya and I'm here under the order of the Godaime. Is Sakura there?" introduced the blonde, her amethyst eyes flickering slightly. Sakura's father motioned for his daughter to come and stand, stepping aside. "Ah, so you're Godaime-sama's disciple. It's nice to finally meet you," said Aya as she stretched out a hand. Awkwardly, Sakura shook it before letting her hand drop back at her side. "Anyway, it's time for your training, Sakura-san," said Aya as she scratched the back of her head slightly. A silver glimmer appeared in her father's brown eyes, the weapon slung on the Jounin's back shimmering in the artificial light.

"I'll be seeing you later then, Okaa-san, Otou-san," said Sakura with a smile before exiting the kitchen, following the Jounin. Various thoughts swam in Sakura's mind as she thought more about the name of the Jounin she was going to be under. The Mikizuki Clan was famous for its use of two unique weapons, the Crescent Blade and the Moon Blade. The Crescent Blade was like its name depicted, a sword shaped into a crescent moon with a rod connecting it from one point to another. The Moon Blade came in various different sizes but all were swords forged into a ring shape, its sharp edge facing outwards. With the manipulation of its movements using chakra, it rotated violently and so quickly that its center of gravity became so strong that it could attract virtually anything. The minute an object met the Moon Blade's center of gravity, it would break down. "Aya-sensei, if you don't mind my asking, which of the two Mikizuki weapons do you master?" asked Sakura as she looked up. A faint smile found its way to the Jounin's face.

"I started learning how to use the Moon Blade at first and my older brother started learning the use of the Crescent Blade," began Aya as memories of her younger years started to flash in her mind, "But we had lent each other our weapons from time to time to get used to it. Our family found it difficult but they didn't try to stop us. When we had both started showing proficiency in the use of both weapons, they decided to take it into their own hands to teach us both. I'm still a bit better with the use of the Moon Blade but I can use the Crescent Blade without any worry of it backfiring. Shinji-nii-san likes to tease me just because I'm starting to catch up to him on his use of the Crescent Blade." Aya laughed slightly as she scratched the back of her head. "Why'd you ask?"

"No reason in particular. I can just hear two metals clanging against each other from your back, that's all," said Sakura simply. Aya smiled slightly. The girl was smart. Even if her opponent could see, it was very difficult to tell which weapon a Mikizuki Clan member would use. They could see a curved edge from behind their back but both weapons had curved edges. "The sound of two kunai or two shuriken bumping against each other is deeper but the sound I can hear is hollower and lighter," said Sakura softly as she remembered the exhibition match of the Jounin. Mikizuki Clansmen had been there and were matched up against each other. She remembered the sound of the Crescent Blade and the Moon Blade clashing against each other, melodious, soft and smooth.

Soon enough, they had arrived in the forest clearing. Taking out the slip of paper that the Godaime gave her, she handed it to the Jounin. A thin eyebrow rose as her amethyst eyes looked at the words. The Godaime was serious when she briefed her yesterday about Sakura's training. Tsunade had mentioned that Sakura didn't merely cover her eyes for training alone. Tsunade had said that Sakura was trying to build foundation for her strength and that she didn't need to use her eyes to see what was truly underneath the underneath. Aya left out a soft sigh as she scratched the back of her head once more. She had done that quite a lot today.

"Sakura, do you know what kind of training you're up against today?" asked Aya as she looked at the pink haired girl, her eyes narrowing slightly. Sakura shook her head, a cue for Aya to continue. "Well, it's mostly physical training. First off, you'll need to do a total of one hundred and twenty push ups and sit ups then you're supposed to practice your Tai Jutsu on a log for thirty minutes. Afterwards, we're supposed to go to the track where you're supposed to sprint twenty-five rounds, one round being from starting point to the end and back. It says to do that everyday until the number dictated becomes easy for you and then I'll start adding more. When all is done, it's time for us to spar. Lunch comes after an hour of sparring or when it strikes noon, whichever comes first. And then you're supposed to do weights for all your muscles. If you don't have any new Nin or Gen Jutsu to study, it's sparring again. Morning session is from six fifteen to twelve and afternoon session is from twelve forty-five to six," explained Aya as she looked at the Godaime's training regimen, "It's pretty harsh, if you think about it." Sakura let out a slight laugh.

"That's Tsunade-shishou for you. She may be very strict but her training hits all the right spots. You always tend to hate the training but in the end, it's good for you," said Sakura good-naturedly as she sat down on the forest floor, her knees apart from her chest. Aya nodded as she watched the pink haired girl cross her arms over her chest and started to do the assigned number of sit ups. Slumping down on the ground herself, the blonde Jounin picked up a stray long and fished out a kunai from her holster. Pressing her thumb against one side of the kunai, she began to affix her right hand into position. Her pointer stretched out and held the other side, the other three fingers curled around the handle. In a repetitive motion, Aya began to carve the wood. She had done a few wooden figurines on occasion, when she could spare the time.

The sun had continued to rise slowly as Aya focused on the carving. She was planning to thin out the wooden log into a small plank that was a couple of centimeters thick. Afterwards, she'd score the wood into a shape of a cherry blossom then etch in deeper to make the features more distinct. With years of experience, she would do the same to the other side with pinpoint precision as to where each etching would be, mirroring the completed side. Beads of sweat had begun to trail down her face. It had taken a little over an hour when Sakura had finished the one hundred and twenty sit ups, the pink haired girl resting before continuing her training. Wood chunks and shavings piled up beside Aya as she concentrated on cutting out the excess wood of the replica of a cherry blossom.

"Aya-sensei, what are you doing? I can hear something but I can't quite make it out," asked Sakura as she faced the Jounin, a look of confusion appearing on the girl's face. A small smile found its way to Aya's face as she stood up. Raising Sakura's hand, she let the pink haired girl run over the slightly rough edges. She'd smooth it out in a few moments. "You're making a wood carving? Aya-sensei, I never knew you could do such a thing," said Sakura as she let her hand drop to her side. Picking up the kunai, the Jounin made her way to beneath the tree before replying.

"It's just a hobby. I'm not great at it or anything but I can carve decently," said Aya as she began to smooth out the rough edges. Sakura nodded before falling into position for a push up. "You don't have to be quick about it, you know. Godaime-sama told me that you used to do only eighty of both so adding forty to the number can be quite tiring," said Aya as she looked up. Sakura stopped momentarily, smiling. Concentrating once more, she continued to finish the amount the Godaime had assigned to her. Sighing in defeat, Aya continued to smooth out the edges of the blossom. Sakura was a girl of determination, the Godaime herself had said that and Tsunade was pleased with the way Sakura was taking the training. Very few shinobi allowed to be trained in this manner and Sakura was one of them.

At Noon, in the Marketplace

"It's been a while since I trained like that," said Aya as she stretched out her arm, the material of her white sleeveless shirt rising slightly, revealing her well-toned belly. Slight bruises appeared on her skin, an irregular pattern. Sakura laughed apologetically, offering to look into them and heal it for her, as the white of Aya's shirt met the black of her loose pants that covered until the midsection of her calf. "Don't worry about it. It did me some good anyway," said Aya, brushing off the apology Sakura had offered. The Jounin's face became stern as her thumb brushed against her own hitai-ate around her forehead, the cold metal beneath the skin of her thumb. "Sakura, the Godaime-sama told me that you were planning to take the Jounin Exams next year. It's of utmost difficulty. You depend on yourself for the most part but at times, have to depend on total strangers," said Aya as she looked at the pink haired girl. Sakura had long stopped listening to the Jounin. A look of fear and panic gripped her, the girl's heart beating loudly. Facing her amethyst gaze in the direction Sakura was facing, Aya looked for the reason why Sakura froze.

Sakura's heart stopped momentarily, wrenching with pain as she sensed his presence. He was probably twenty meters away in the busy marketplace, stopping every once in a while to look at some things. He was probably trying to fill his pantry today. Gulping, she clenched her fists together tightly as her heart pounded against her rib cage. She couldn't move at all as he came closer and closer towards where she was standing. The wind was cold against her skin, flushed due to the heat of the bright sun. Moments later, he was lingering in the stall next to where she was standing. Looking up, he saw her standing there. "Sakura," he acknowledged casually before looking back down at the wares of the stall, a few ryo clutched in his hand.

"Sa-sasuke-kun! Wha-what a surprise to see you here," said Sakura, stuttering the first part. The Uchiha's eyebrow rose as he continued to simply look at her. "It's a force of habit so, you don't have to worry about it," explained Sakura as she looked down slightly, her blindedgreen gaze refusing to meet Sasuke's sharp, onyx one. Aya's hand ran through her blonde hair, a soft flick resounding when she met the end of her goldenrod tresses. "Oh yeah, Sasuke-kun, this is Mikizuki Aya-sensei, the Jounin whom Tsunade-shishou assigned to take care of my training for me," said Sakura as she introduced the Jounin. Sasuke looked at her and nodded; it was a sign of acknowledgement for the Uchiha. Aya merely smiled in return, the two blades glimmering in the sunlight. Light flashed in the Uchiha's eyes but he decided not to press further. "Sorry to be leaving you like this, Sasuke-kun, but we really have to go," said Sakura apologetically before waving and running off, Aya following her. The pink haired girl's heart was still pounding.

Sasuke looked off into the direction where the two had gone. It was different and funny to see Sakura wear her hitai-ate around her face, covering her eyes instead of acting like a headband as it did for the past four years. Clutching the ryo in his hand even tighter, the Uchiha forced himself to look at the wares. When Sakura had told him that she called him 'Sasuke-kun' now because it was a force of habit, his heart plummeted. He didn't understand why it did, it's not like she meant anything more to him. Frowning, he pocketed his hands, stashing the ryo as well. Wheeling around, he decided to just to grocery shopping later. It was much too busy and much too crowded for him to do so. It wasn't that he was going to buy much, just rice, seaweed, salt and some tomatoes. He lived off Onigiri, after all. His eyes narrowed as he continued walking back to his home, to train some more. Why did his heart plummet when Sakura had mentioned that it was just a force of habit to call him Sasuke-kun, that it didn't mean anything more?

"Sorry, I just don't want to talk to Sasuke-kun more than I have to. At least, not yet," murmured Sakura apologetically as they sat down in Ichiraku. Surprisingly, Naruto wasn't there. He was probably off training or he had just gotten assigned a mission earlier in the day. Aya nodded understandingly as she traced invisible circles on the wooden surface. "But, I'm okay. At least I didn't feel like running away the minute he said my name," added Sakura as she looked at the Jounin, a smile appearing on her face. Aya nodded once more, this time, drumming her fingers against the soft wood. Facing the interior of the stall, the owner of the Ichiraku smiled at Sakura as he set down her bowl of Oriental Ramen. "Thank you, Ojii-san," said Sakura with a smile. Reaching out, she picked out a pair of chopsticks, broke them and began to eat.

"She's a good kid you know," spoke the elderly man, his words soft, as he began cleaning a bowl. Behind him, his assistant was preparing another bowl of ramen, Beef this time, and it was for Aya. The Jounin raised a delicate eyebrow as she looked at the old man, curiosity glistening in her amethyst optics. She wondered why he had said that. "Ah, I usually see the three of them here; on occasion their sensei was here too. Usually, Naruto-kun would sit over there, to the right of Sakura-chan. Sasuke-san would sit to Sakura-chan's left. She always got mad at Naruto-kun but she had always adored Sasuke-san. It seems that now, she has lost interest in Sasuke-san. I wonder why. She was a lively girl back then," explained the elderly man. Aya nodded slowly, interest shining in her eyes. "Your ramen will come soon," he said as he set down the bowl he was cleaning, picking up another.

Lunch had gone quickly, no words exchanged between them, as they ate their ramen. Sakura had gotten better with the use of the blindfold. It had been around thirty hours since she started wearing it, after all. A couple of other customers, civilians, came by and greeted the two kunoichi cheerfully, a response coming from the two. They had noticed Sakura's eyes covered but didn't question it. It wasn't that the pink haired girl was blind, they knew that. They would have heard if the medical specialist had gotten into any accident and if anyone could help regenerate the damaged optic cells, it was the Godaime. The likelihood of her going blind was close to nil. Soon enough, the two had finished their lunch. With a polite wave and paying their bill, they were off to continue the pink haired girl's training.

A couple of hours had passed while Sakura had been lifting weights targeting certain muscle groups. Aya was impressed that Sakura didn't complain. Most would have and just started off with learning another Jutsu to strengthen their bodies even further. Sakura was content with doing what she was assigned to do, her muscles screaming in protest every once in a while to give them a break. She refused to use her knowledge as a medical specialist to use chakra to restore herself, saying it made her feel like she was cheating. Aya had continued to etch the nearly completed cherry blossom carving she had started earlier. Occasionally, the Jounin looked up from her place to see what Sakura was doing next. The pink haired girl was still dutifully completing the training that had been given to her.

"Sakura, if you don't mind my asking, what made you ask to become Godaime-sama's student?" asked Aya as she pocketed the kunai, slightly dulled because of her carving. Sakura didn't respond as she continued to lift the weights, concentrating on finishing this first. The Jounin ran her calloused fingers above the various raised carvings and the indentations made on the piece. The artist in her was satisfied with the outcome; the only thing lacking was the paint. A few moments later, Sakura was done and opened her mouth to speak her response. Aya was all ears when Sakura had begun to speak.

"Four years ago, Sasuke-kun… he left the village to go to Orochimaru to gain power. Shikamaru, Kiba, Chouji, Neji and Naruto had been assigned then to bring him back. I asked Naruto a favor then, the only favor I'd ever ask him, which was to bring Sasuke-kun back," began Sakura as invisible tears began falling on her face, "When he had returned, he was unsuccessful. He had left with Jiraiya-sama on a training journey but before he left after he was released from the hospital. I had told him when I had met him the day he came back that I would come along and bring back Sasuke-kun. I was the weakest among the three of us; I always was and probably still am. I had asked Tsunade-shishou to make me her student so I could at least become stronger and fend for myself." A slight smile found its way to Aya's face as Sakura finished giving her reason.

"Sakura, you want to become strong right? You're strong in your own right, a Chuunin who's striving to become a Jounin at the age of seventeen," said Aya as she looked at Sakura with utmost seriousness, "And only very few have gotten to become a Jounin in their teen years, most during their late teens to their twenties, some even later." Sakura looked up at Aya, a slightly confused expression on her face. "I had heard from Godaime-sama that you have excellent chakra control, utmost talent in being a medical specialist and one of her best students. I will ask my family if I can have permission to teach you how to use a Crescent Blade, the Moon Blade being far too much a family secret for it to be taught beyond the Mikizuki blood." A smile started to form on Sakura's face as she realized what Aya was going to do. "Don't worry; it will probably turn out okay anyway. There have been a couple of instances where outsiders excelled in the use of a Crescent Blade compared to a full-blooded Mikizuki."

"Thank you, Aya-sensei!" said Sakura breathlessly, a grin on her face. When she was a Genin, Kakashi had said she was the smarts of the team, Naruto was the brawn and Sasuke was both though leaning more into brawn. Growing up, she had started developing her body and her mastery of Nin, Gen and Tai Jutsu. Her Nin Jutsu consisted mostly of medical Jutsu with the addition of the occasional offensive Jutsu. Her Gen Jutsu was impressive but not as compared to Kurenai's. Her Tai Jutsu style was similar to the Godaime herself, exploding chakra from her tenketsu as her body connected with something. With the addition of learning the use Crescent Blade, the need of her to use her chakra would lessen greatly, allowing her the use of multiple weapons from the standard kunai and shuriken to the more exotic Crescent Blade. "I'll do my very best not to disappoint you!" A smile found its way to the Jounin's face as she told Sakura to continue her training. It wasn't going to be a mistake to teach the Godaime's favorite student the use of a weapon very few outside of the Mikizuki Clan could use.

**Tsuzuku…**

And here comes the end of chapter two.

Mind you, the basic ideas of the Crescent Blade and the Moon Blade don't come from me. The idea for the Crescent Blade came from the animanga, Flame of Recca. I forgot the name of the character who uses it, Tsukishiro I think, from the Uruha Ma. The Moon Blade idea comes from Get Backers. Miroku Yukihiko uses this weapon.

Hope that's clear for you and remember, I'm not claiming the idea of the Crescent Blade and the Moon Blade. Both weapons just seem to suit the Mikizuki (Crescent Moon) Clan very well and the Naruto world.

Oh yes, this is more a Sakura-centric fanfic over a Sasuke/Sakura one but don't fret, I'll add moments for the two of them every now and then.

As usual, here's the chapter preview!

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Three – Sighted Determination

**Chapter Preview:** "And that's the Crescent Blade you're going to use. It was forged to fit your exact specifications which I got from Godaime-sama," explained Aya as she let her fingers run along the silver of the blade Sakura was currently holding. It was only now that Aya had seen the jade green of the girl's optics. "For two hours each day, you're going to be learning the basics of the Crescent Blade without your hitai-ate around your eyes. When you've mastered it, you will be back to wearing your blindfold as you refine your techniques. I'm sure you can manage it when you've mastered the basics of the Crescent Blade. After all, Godaime-sama had called you a prodigy at learning," added Aya as she laughed slightly, Sakura reddening in embarrassment. Up in the trees, another prodigy was watching. They wandered near the area he had always trained in. Standing up, he jumped down and began walking away, forcing himself not to look back at the girl who had always adored him.


	3. Sighted Determination

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Three – Sighted Determination

She was brushing her hair self-consciously; up fifteen minutes after five in the morning to make sure everything would go smoothly at the Academy. Today, she was going as a guest speaker in class to introduce to the students what being a Medical Specialist was all about. This meeting had been assigned a week before her training had started. When she had visited the Godaime yesterday, Tsunade had reassured her that it was alright to miss the morning session and that she had permission to remove her hitai-ate while in the demonstration. The afternoon session was far more important to begin with. Tucking the stray strands back, she looked at herself in the mirror. She could see absolutely nothing but she was sure that she had looked fine. After all, her mother had decided to revamp her entire closet and she knew that her mother was one of those people with impeccable fashion sense, even for a kunoichi like herself.

She was still wearing the same sleeveless upper attire but this time, it was a shirt, the white circle at the back obvious against the red of the material. Her new shorts were still black but now covered up to the midsection of her thighs. The redness was broken by a light, tan colored skirt that ended an inch above her shorts, two wide slits at the side, held together by a belt buckle. Her shinobi sandals were now black, covering the entire of her shin, ending an inch before her knees. Her gloves had remained part of her ninja attire. "New outfit to match the new me, symbolic," she said to herself, making sure that she had everything with her. Assured that she was ready, she made her way out of her room. She had made a mental note to thank her mother. She had used her fifteen minutes this time to check out the new set of ninja garb she had.

"Morning," said Sakura cheerfully as she sat down to eat. It was already six when she had gone down to eat breakfast. Her parents smiled in return as they greeted her. "Okaa-san, thank you for the clothes you bought for me. They look wonderful," said Sakura, a tone of appreciation in her voice. Her mother smiled and said it was nothing. She needed a wardrobe change anyway. She had worn the exact same thing since she was twelve and the only new addition was the red gloves she wore. Sakura laughed nervously as her mother set down a plate of eggs and a piece of toast before her. Sakura began eating; skillfully using her chopsticks to pick up the eggs and put them on top of the toast, acting as some sort of filling.

"How has your training been going, dear?" asked her mother, wiping her hands on her apron. Sakura mentioned that the Jounin from yesterday was going to teach her something new, a use of a weapon only a certain family could use. She had obtained special permission to learn how to wield the weapon. "That's nice, dear," said Sakura's mother, a bit saddened. She and her husband were simply civilians in Konoha but their daughter was a kunoichi. The fact that their daughter, named after spring's most beautiful flower, voluntarily joined the world of blood and war broke their hearts. It was because it was what she wanted that they had decided to support her in every way that they could. Sakura had finished breakfast in twenty minutes. "Good luck, Sakura, with your presentation at the Academy and your training later this afternoon," spoke her mother, "Do you know what time you'll be back home?"

"I'll be home maybe seven at the earliest. I want to catch up with what I've missed in the morning," replied Sakura before making her way to the door. Her parents looked at each other, a bit worried. Their doubts had lessened when they had found out that it was for her training but they hadn't seen her remove her blindfold at all. They were beginning to forget that their daughter had green eyes until seeing a picture of her with the same green optics wide open and her smiling face reminded them of how their daughter was supposed to look like. They had to cast their fears and doubts aside. They knew their daughter was strong-willed and that in the end, they'd see her smiling face again with her beautiful jade, green eyes wide open.

Sakura had reached the Academy with hardly any trouble. Umino Iruka, her sensei back then, was still teaching but had been going out on missions more often. She had heard that Hinata was going to replace him, as he wanted to go back out on the field after years of being a teacher. She didn't blame him. Teaching was one of the things she wasn't cut out for. Hinata, on the other hand, was perfect for the job, in her honest opinion. Opening the doors to the Academy she stepped it. It had been a while since she was last within the place which had launched her into a journey of being a kunoichi. Walking down the otherwise empty hallway, she felt a surge of chakra come out to her left. It was strong but too weak to be of Chuunin level. He was probably an Academy student. A familiar pair of white eyes had spotted her.

"Sakura-chan, why are you wearing a blindfold?" asked Hinata, jogging towards the pink haired girl. The Godaime's apprentice had laughed nervously, saying it was training. "Oh, really? For what?" asked Hinata softly, her shyness taking over once more. Sakura had explained it was for her Tai Jutsu. The chakra source from earlier had left, telling Sakura that it was only she and Hinata who were left in the corridor. "I'm glad you were able to make it, I mean, with your training and all," said Hinata sincerely as she guided Sakura towards the room she taught in. "Shizune-san and Godaime-sama are far too busy and you seem to be too but I'm still glad you were able to make it," added Hinata.

"It's no problem. In fact, I was eager to volunteer," said Sakura with a grin, "I mean, I wonder if I could interest any one of your students to become a medical specialist just like me!" She added the last part with a laugh. The Godaime had two apprentices, Shizune and herself. Shizune had been teaching a Chuunin how it was to become a medical specialist. The name escaped her but she'd remember later on. "Did the class you're teaching now ever remind you of how we were when we were still under Iruka-sensei?" asked Sakura casually, almost near the classroom. Hinata said a sorrowful yes. "Hah, I wonder who was worse, us or them?" asked Sakura good-naturedly. Hinata made no reply as she slid the door open. It was a bit past seven and classes usually started then.

"Ohayou gozaimasou, Hinata-sensei," uttered the class in monotone as twenty-seven students rose, greeting the Hyuuga heiress. Hinata smiled and told them to greet Sakura. "Ohayou gozaimasou, Sakura-sensei," they said once more. Sakura smiled back in return, greeting them. She felt all twenty-seven inquisitive gazes on her, wondering why she had her hitai-ate around her eyes. She could read their minds. Was she really a ninja? Ninjas had to be able to see, after all. Or at least most of the ninjas they had seen were able to see. Motioning for them to sit down, Hinata had begun to speak, giving an introduction to Sakura before letting her get started on the demonstration.

"Godaime-sama has noticed the dwindling amount of Medical Specialists in Konoha so she had decided to send a high-ranking Medical Specialist to have a demonstration. There are seven classes here and because of that, each day, there will be a demonstration in a different class, not necessarily the same Medical Specialist," explained Hinata in a loud voice. Sakura had never heard the Hyuuga heiress speak that way in her life. "Today, you guys are in for a treat. The Medical Specialist here with us today is no ordinary medical specialist. She came from the same class I did, four years ago, and was in the same team as the Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi, a Genin under special care of Jiraiya-sama, Uzumaki Naruto, and the last Uchiha, Uchiha Sasuke. Not only that, she had started her training as a Medical Specialist three years ago and has been under the Godaime herself. Today let me introduce to you our speaker, Haruno Sakura." Claps resounded in the room as a sign of respect.

"Excuse me, Sakura-sensei, why are you wearing a blindfold?" spoke up a feminine voice, raising her hand. Sakura bent her head slightly, reaching for the knot on the back of her head. Undoing it, she removed the hitai-ate from around her eyes, still closed before opening them to get used to the light once more. Fixing her hitai-ate into a headband, she made sure all the strands of her rosy tresses were behind her ear. Looking back down, she opened her jade green eyes, sparkling. "Kirei," murmured the feminine voice as she looked at Sakura's jade green eyes. All the students seemed to be captivated by it, except one. Hinata motioned for the girl to tell Sakura her name. "Oh! My name is Kazuya Fuuko," she said, bowing slightly, "It's nice to meet you!" She had actually talked to the Chuunin she had admired! It was a great day for her already.

"Yes, nice to meet you too," spoke Sakura. The name sounded familiar but she shook it off. Fuuko's cheeks reddened slightly as she nodded, sitting down. "Now, do you know what a medical specialist is?" Chorus answers of a medical specialist being a ninja who could fight on the battle field but primarily had a role of being the healer for the basic 4-man team. Sakura was impressed that they knew this much. Stealing a glance towards her friend, Hinata's face gave away the fact that she had lectured them a bit on Medical Specialists before Sakura had come. "Okay, a Medical Specialists main purpose on the battle field is, like you've said, to heal. Of course, Chiyute no Jutsu does the trick primarily for wounds on the field," began Sakura. As she was explaining, she had picked out a kunai and created a small wound on her left forearm. Performing a few hand seals, a steady glow of blue light appeared on her hand. Swiping her open palm at the wound, she had healed it. Awestruck gazes appeared as Sakura had continued to explain what it took to become a Medical Specialist.

Hinata found herself listening to Sakura as she continued to explain. She had even gone to the board and began drawing diagrams of the human body, showing the fatal points that if at all harmed, could deal an automatic death. Even Hunter Nin had to know this, as they had the job of killing those who had become Missing Nin and destroying their body so no trace of Konoha Jutsu could be dissected. Occasionally, the students asked questions and Sakura had been patient with answering them. When they were done with the basics of human anatomy, Sakura had mentioned that Biology, more specifically Botany, had some use in the ninja world. A Medical Specialist had to know this to pair off with Toxicology, as repairing damaged cells and tissue wasn't the only job. Hours had passed and it was fifteen minutes before noon.

"As a last note, let me recap on what I've discussed today. First, we discussed what a Medical Specialist is and the job of one in and out of the battle field. You have been introduced to the most basic of Medical Jutsu, Chiyute no Jutsu and its counterpart, Satsugaite no Jutsu. Human Anatomy was introduced and a good bit of time was taken up discussing solely that," spoke Sakura as she put the chalk down on the ledge. The interested Academy students nodded as they waited for Sakura to continue. "So, now's the time I tell you what you need to become one. Of course dedication and hard work is already a given but most importantly, chakra control. You need perfect, if not close to perfect, chakra control as you're dealing with lives here. Too little or too much chakra can prove to be your downfall as a Medical Specialist. I'm sure Hinata can teach you how to better your chakra control, as she comes from a family that needs it the most." Hinata blushed slightly at the complement. "Any last questions?"

"Yes," said a male this time, raising his hand. Sakura nodded and waited for him to speak his mind. "My name is Shibahara Kyouta and I'd like to know, if it isn't too much of a burden, to ask you, Sakura-sensei, why you have decided to become a Medical Specialist?" he continued as he remained standing, "From what I've heard about you, your skills as a Medical Specialist are second only to Shizune-sensei and Godaime-sama and at such a young age as well. I've heard your Tai Jutsu is very much like Godaime-sama's and that you're naturally talented in Gen Jutsu like Kurenai-sensei." Sakura managed to look at Hinata momentarily. The Hyuuga mouthed that during the Gen Jutsu demonstration, Kurenai had visited the Academy, being the foremost specialist in Gen Jutsu and qualified to teach as a Jounin. Kurenai herself had taught the Hyuuga, after all.

"Why did I take such a daring leap, Kyouta-kun?" began Sakura as she ran a hand through her short, rosy tresses. Images of the time she had first taken the Chuunin Exams flashed in her mind, how she had sacrificed her long tresses to keep Sasuke and Naruto safe when the Genin from Otogakure had ambushed them. "Let's just say it's all for the sake of friends, for bringing someone back and proving to him that I'm not that weak teammate he used to remember," said Sakura with a slight smile on her face, "I'm sure you've heard of the incident involving Uchiha Sasuke, am I right? He is the last Uchiha who had betrayed the village, only to regain its trust back and is now a Chuunin." Kyouta nodded, knowing everything about the prodigy he could dig up from the files about him. Sasuke was strong and he did it mostly on his own. Kyouta admired the Uchiha for that. "That's all for today. Please don't be afraid to approach me if you see me or anything. I'll be glad to take a break from my own training to talk to you," she added.

"Jounin Exams, am I right? Training for the Jounin Exams next year?" asked Kyouta. Sakura laughed and nodded as she undid her hitai-ate and wrapped it around her eyes once more. Kyouta was naturally inquisitive and wanted to learn more. He would make a great shinobi one day. She'd only hope that he would become a Genin when the time cametwo yearslater. "Thank you, Sakura-sensei," he said as he sat down once more, a passive look on his face. Hinata had motioned for them to stand up to greet Sakura goodbye. Their voices had a more eager tone to them this time around, clearly impressed by what the sixteen year old had known. They were all just six years younger than her, after all. Without another word, Sakura waved goodbye and began walking out to her own training. She had arranged to meet with Aya at Ichiraku.

At Ichiraku

"Oy, Sakura!" shouted Aya as she put her hands around her mouth, making it act like a microphone. Sakura smiled as she waved her hand before jogging towards the Jounin. "How was the demonstration? Good I hope," asked Aya as she and Sakura sat down at the table. The pink haired girl had been having ramen for lunch for the past three days. In her mind, she hoped she wouldn't get addicted to the stuff and have it day in and day out like Naruto. A nostalgic smile found its way to her face as she ordered a bowl of miso ramen. She hadn't seen Naruto since yesterday. He was most likely off doing another week long mission or something. He didn't seem to show any particular interest in participating in next year's Jounin Exams. She made a mental note to ask him why the next time around. "I have your Crescent Blade, it's under the bar," said Aya softly as she ran her fingers through her goldenrod tresses.

"Oh, really? Thank you very much for going out of your way to help me in my training," said Sakura sincerely as she bowed slightly. Aya shook it off, a grin on her face, saying it was worth it. Even if she had only seen Sakura train once, she had a feeling it wouldn't be a waste to let her learn something the Mikizuki Clan protected. After all, the Godaime herself had taken her in as an apprentice. Being able to earn the Godaime's interest was something hard to do and a girl as young as she was able to do such a feat. "I think I may have inspired a couple of people to become Medical Specialists during my talk earlier," said Sakura sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. Aya looked at her, a curious expression on her face. "Yup. I'm not too sure but I've heard from Hinata that a particular Kazuya Fuuko admires me for being able to ask Tsunade-shishou to train me. And Shibahara Kyouta was particularly inquisitive." Aya let out a laugh.

"I have a friend from Fuuko's family, her sister to be exact, Kazuya Ran. She's still a Chuunin and she's just hardly much older than you, a year or two at the most, but since I'm usually in the same shift as her when it comes to guarding the South Gate, I got to know her," explained Aya as their bowls of ramen were set before them. Picking out a chopstick and breaking them, she continued. "I think during her spare time, if she's not out on missions or anything, she trains under Shizune-san, to become a Medical Specialist just like you. When I ask her how her training is going, she blushes, saying she's not good enough yet unlike you. You were so much better than her after three months into the training. She probably talks to her sister about you, saying that Fuuko should try to become a Medical Specialist as well. The two of them have perfect chakra control you see," concluded Aya.

"From what you said, Aya-sensei, it makes me want to make sure Fuuko-san becomes a Genin two years from now, so that I can teach her the tricks of becoming a Medical Specialist," said Sakura with a grin. Aya nodded as they continued eating. Their lunch was uneventful, as always, filled with mostly how and what Sakura done during the demonstration and deeper into the topic about Medical Specialists. Aya was truly intrigued by all this but never was the type to become a Medical Specialist. Very few were even the type to become one in the first place, the main reason why their number had been dwindling as of late. And for those who were the type to become one, they never realized their full potential as they had hardly any knowledge as to what a Medical Specialist was.

After their lunch, they had walked towards the forest, still amiably talking. The Jounin's hand gripped the long handle that connected the two ends of the Crescent Blade together. Her own Crescent Blade was hanging on her back, her Moon Blade hanging off her hip. Sakura's Crescent Blade was wrapped in bandages, to protect the blade and to avoid provoking confusion as to why the Jounin was carrying a lethal weapon casually and freely. When they had reached the forest, Aya had motioned for Sakura to wait as she removed the bandages. Long strips of white fell to the forest floor, the silver of the blade glimmering due to the sunlight. "Sakura, remove your hitai-ate," instructed Aya as she held out the Crescent Blade. The Chuunin nodded as she affixed the hitai-ate the way it had always been before she had started the training.

"And that's the Crescent Blade you're going to use. It was forged to fit your exact specifications which I got from Godaime-sama," explained Aya as she let her fingers run along the silver of the blade Sakura was currently holding. It was only now that Aya had seen the jade green of the girl's optics. "For two hours each day, you're going to be learning the basics of the Crescent Blade without your hitai-ate around your eyes. When you've mastered it, you will be back to wearing your blindfold as you refine your techniques. I'm sure you can manage it when you've mastered the basics of the Crescent Blade. After all, Godaime-sama had called you a prodigy at learning," added Aya as she laughed slightly, Sakura reddening in embarrassment. Up in the trees, another prodigy was watching. They wandered near the area he had always trained in. Standing up, he jumped down and began walking away, forcing himself not to look back at the girl who had always adored him.

As soon as he was confident he was a good distance from them, he began performing a series of hand seals known only to one other Nin in all of Konoha. A blue light sparked in his hand as chirping was heard. Pushing himself off from his perch, he began initiating the straight thrust motion of the Jutsu he was going to use. Slamming his open palm against the debris in front of him, the broken concrete blew up into dust. Sighing, he slumped down to the floor to rest a bit, to regain a bit of the strength he had just used to use the Chidori. "Why the hell am I so affected by this!" he shouted as he slammed his fist onto the forest floor repeatedly, his body hunched as he screamed silently for answers. Birds flew, chirping, as they went away from their homes for a while. "It's not like she means anything to me more than my teammate!" he shouted again, his vision blurring slightly as he found unwanted tears collecting in his eyes, "I'm not even supposed to cry for her!"

Hours had passed since Sakura had gotten the Crescent Blade from Aya. Basic motions were taught to her as Aya explained the objective of learning how to wield the Crescent Blade. Because it was curved, it had a wider field of attack. One swinging motion could create a line of attack for one hundred and eighty degrees. Spinning around like a full circle would allow a field of attack of a flat three hundred and sixty degrees, a full circle. If a back flip was performed and the user was holding the Crescent Blade, a straight line of attack was formed. Lodging the Crescent Blade into a victim and spinning the Blade around with the weapon still lodged in the victim was lethal. The versatility of the Crescent Blade was what made it dangerous. The fact that a Mikizuki was a genius at how it was used and had all knowledge of the various styles that could be applied to it made it fatal to clash against one.

"You remind me of a younger me when I was first learning the Crescent Blade," said Aya, a nostalgic tone in her voice. Sakura had long put back the hitai-ate around her face as she had finished her training with the Crescent Blade for the day. The pink haired Chuunin looked at her, a confused expression on her face. "The way you're learning it, it reminds of how I did. I remember experimenting with the basics of the Crescent Blade. If you initiate an attack with it, striking your opponent at one side and completing the full swing allows roughly a hundred and eighty line of attack from the Tip A to Tip B. The degree of sharpness varies as well from each point, the sharpest being the tips, dulling slightly at the curved edges only to sharpen one more as it reaches the other tip. With the knowledge of its sharpness, its range of attack makes the user a force to be reckoned with," explained Aya as she ran a hand through her goldenrod hair, "And you, Sakura, your innate book smarts and obvious determination to succeed, you are on your way to becoming the strongest shinobi who can wield the Crescent Blade, outside of the Mikizuki Clan."

"Th-thank y-you, A-aya-sensei," she stuttered, a blush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. Indeed, she wanted to become the strongest kunoichi she could be. With Aya's help, as well as the Godaime's if need be, she had enough confidence to truly excel and hope to be appointed Jounin in next year's exams. "Sasuke-kun, I will get over you and show you just how strong I can be," she murmured quietly to herself, the wind blowing as the short, rosy tresses flew slightly. Her long, pink hair, gone because she stood up to protect her team four years ago, her eyes, blindfolded to help her see past what only the eyes could and her clothes, changed to say she would move on from the past and walk with her own two feet. All were symbols that the kunoichi Haruno Sakura would be reborn to prove her worth as a Konohagakure no Sato Nin.

**Tsuzuku…**

Chapter three, easily the longest in Past Peripheral Vision, hope you enjoyed.

Hah, I don't think you saw the first part coming. You'll be seeing more of Fuuko and Kyouta every now and then as they're not just… random Academy students I decided to name. They've got a much more important role.

And, Sasuke-kun's confused now! Why does he feel this way about Sakura when she's really just a friend to him? We all know why of course.

I hope my explanation of how the Crescent Blade is used was understandable enough. The Crescent Blade, you see, unlike a regular sword, is curved and it's attacked in a swinging motion, kind of like those swinging boats you see in theme parks. You need to know your angles to know if your opponent is within reach of the Crescent Blade's range.

Oh yeah. This story will cover both the training and the Jounin Exams. Hopefully, by chapter ten or something, I'll be at a point where the Jounin Exams are about to start. Yes, it'll take a while for our dear Sasuke-kun to realize his feelings.

Anyway, I'll try to update next week seeing as I won't have access to the computer on May 14 – 15. I'll be out on a family trip. If I'm unable to update, think of the length of this chapter as a pre-apology.

As usual, here's the chapter preview!

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Four – Pushing the Limits

**Chapter Preview:** It had been three weeks since her training began. Her fingers were already starting to get calloused that it was no longer uncomfortable for her to be holding the Crescent Blade for long periods of time. The basics were drilled in her mind and today, she was going to start using the Crescent Blade with her blindfold on. Indeed, she had been determined to learn and master the Crescent Blade. Aya had spied the pink haired girl training even past the set training schedule. Occasionally, she'd spy someone else with her, a blonde boy with ocean blue eyes, helping her train. When she was resting, they were talking like friends. Aya was impressed with the way Sakura was dealing with things. "Guess you were both right, Kakashi-kun, Godaime-sama, that Sakura is indeed one who is determined to learn all she can about things," said Aya to herself as she walked away from the forest. Behind her, she could hear things being sliced. Sakura was still training and it was almost eleven in the evening.


	4. Pushing the Limits

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Four – Pushing the Limits

"Yo, Sakura," said a familiar voice, waving his hand. He didn't seem to notice the hitai-ate around her face. If he did, which was most likely the case, he was ignoring it or he'd already heard of her training from either Tsunade or Shizune, more likely from the latter. Sakura lifted her head up and smiled, acknowledging the presence of the Jounin. "Naruto's back today from a brief, solo C-Rank mission," informed the male as he stood in front of her, without the orange book in his hand. Looking around, he seemed to be trying to look for someone. "Seen Aya yet? She told me she had something to give," he said with a tone of urgency in his voice, "I've got to go somewhere in a few moments." A sad grin found its way to Sakura's face as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Going to the epitaph, Kakashi-sensei?" she asked with the same tone in her voice. Kakashi laughed nervously as he expressed that her guess was right. "After four years, I've finally realized why you're late all the time. You could have told us from the start you know," said Sakura as she leaned on the railing. Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, opting to not comment. Sakura nodded understandingly, knowing not to pry any further into his private life. She had been here for the past few minutes, the Crescent Blade hanging on her back, pressing against the railings of the bridge she had remembered waiting on when she was twelve. Kakashi would come hours later with a stupid excuse as to why he had made them wait for such a long time. "You knew Aya-sensei?" asked Sakura, trying to strike up a conversation. The Chuunin was waiting for her here, as the Jounin had instructed yesterday. Kakashi had a slight look of surprise when Sakura had added '-sensei' to the end of her name. He didn't notice the blade on her back. "And Naruto, I suppose, is asleep or eating his instant ramen, right?"

"Sister of a Jounin I used to work with," he explained, not pressing into any further details, "And yes, he's in his apartment. He should take notice of his health. It's bad to live off instant ramen every single day of your life." Sakura let out a chuckle as she leaned back slightly. Kakashi had the habit of popping up near Naruto's window, a basket of vegetables in his hand. Tucked neatly between the vegetables, usually between the carrots and the lettuce, was a sandwich wrapped in paper. Sakura's house was on the way to Naruto's so Sakura had made it a point to wait outside with a sandwich she prepared herself so that Kakashi could give it to Naruto. "You know, I miss the Fridays I'd go to Naruto's apartment with a few vegetables, stopping by your house before going to his place," said Kakashi with a nostalgic smile beneath his mask.

"Yup, I do too," said Sakura wistfully. Straightening her back, she stretched out her arms and let out a silly grin on her face. Kakashi nodded once more as silence reigned between them. Team Seven had officially disbanded when Naruto had left Konoha for training with Jiraiya. Sakura had gone to the Godaime for training to become the excellent Medical Specialist that she was. She had even signed a contract with the Slugs, just like Tsunade had before her. When Kakashi had found that out, he smiled a bitter smile. The beginning of another legendary trio was starting. Naruto was growing up to be another Jiraiya, having a contract with the Toads since he was twelve. Sakura was growing up to be another Tsunade, beautiful and strong, with a contract with the Slugs. He had assumed Sasuke had a contract with the Snakes when he found out the race Sakura was bound to. That fact was proven when he had been brought home a little over a year ago. "How have you been doing lately?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Fine, I've been fine," he said, his lone eye crinkling with amusement. Sakura had a look of worry on her face but nodded anyway, hoping for the best for her former Jounin sensei. When Team Seven had disbanded, he had been going to out for drinks a bit more than usual to try and forget everything that had happened. In his opinion, he had failed his duty as a Jounin sensei and a proud Jounin of Konohagakure no Sato. Because he didn't keep a close watch on Sasuke, the last remaining Uchiha had left the village to become a Missing Nin. It took them three years to bring him back. When he had left that time, they had resorted to sending Genin and a sole Chuunin to lead them in order to bring back Sasuke. Naruto had nearly died because of that mission. Sakura, feeling helpless, had sought out training from the Godaime. "I really am, you know. You should stop worrying about others and worry more for yourself," he said as he gave Sakura a pat on the head. He had been out on missions as of late, keeping himself busy as he no longer had a Genin team to teach. Sakura nodded once more, a dubious look on her face.

"Sakura!" shouted a familiar voice as footsteps grew louder with each passing second. The Chuunin turned her head to face the direction the voice came from. "Sakura, I hope I didn't make you wait too long," said the female apologetically. It was a bit past six in the morning when she had arrived. Looking up, she noticed the lax figure of a Jounin a year older than her. "Kakashi-kun, I didn't expect you here this early!" exclaimed Aya as she felt around in her pockets for what she was going to give him. Kakashi let out a smile from beneath his mask, his lips moving against the dark material. "Here, Godaime-sama wanted me to give you this," she said simply as she handed the older Jounin a cylindrical object wrapped carefully in thin paper. "Godaime-sama would have given it to you personally but she's been busy lately," explained Aya as she scratched the back of her head. Sakura let out a soft giggle. Tsunade had always been like that.

"A scroll?" he asked, his lone eye squinting to examine it. Unfurling it, he stretched a bit of the paper out to read what had been written on it. A piece of paper fell out. The male Jounin picked it up and stuck it on the scroll before Aya could read what was written on it. Kakashi made a sound of understanding as he rolled it back up. After reading, he had inserted it in a free scroll pouch to ensure that it wouldn't get lost. "I better go now," he said as he waved his hand and began walking away. The two kunoichi bid him goodbye as he continued walking towards the central building of Konoha. The Godaime wanted him to do something. She could have simply written it down on a piece of paper then gave him the scroll later rather than insert the paper into the scroll but the Godaime liked to do things out of the box every once in a while. "A retrieval mission, eh?" he said to himself quietly, an amused tone hidden within his words, "Been a while since I've done that. Wonder what I'm going to have to get this time…" Taking one more step, Kakashi had disappeared in a flurry of leaves. He always liked the flashy entrances and exits.

"Sakura, come on, it's time for your training. We've wasted enough time, as it is," said Aya as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her black pants. The Chuunin nodded as she followed the golden haired Jounin silently. "Glad to see you take care of the Crescent Blade, even if it's just new," commented Aya as she looked back, silver glimmering in her otherwise plain amethyst eyes. Sakura blushed slightly as she continued walking. When Team Seven was still complete, they had been assigned a mission to clean a bunch of weapons for the Academy. When they had seen the weapons they were assigned to clean, they were practically dull that they couldn't even slice through food. It took them the whole day sharpen and clean the kunai and shuriken to be deemed useable. Since then, the trio had an odd obsession about making sure their weapons were clean, sharp and pointy. A single D-Rank mission took the whole day when the norm was to complete three or four and have training afterwards.

In the Forest

"Okay, Sakura, remember all that you've learned yesterday and let's see if you can handle a thirty-minute sparring session with the Crescent Blade," instructed Aya as she fell in her own stance, her Crescent Blade shining against the morning sun. Sakura nodded, flustering as she grasped the handle tightly. She mirrored Aya's stance, the one she had been taught. The Crescent Blade was stretched out in front, placed diagonally, the upper left tip in a three hundred and fifteen degree angle. Sakura's left hand supported her right, to ease the strain. "Remember, Nin and Gen Jutsu are allowed, as well as other Tai Jutsu techniques and the usage of other weapons you may with you," explained Aya as she flipped her hold of her Crescent Blade to her left hand, holding it in a sixty-five degree angle, completely opposite of what Sakura was doing, "Because I will go all out on you." Without another word, the two kunoichi sprung into battle, Sakura's arm feeling the strain of carrying such a heavy weapon in battle.

The Crescent Blades clashed heavily against each other, sending the weaker of the two backwards, slamming onto a tree trunk. Sakura's eyes blanked momentarily as the impact of the crash took effect on her. The Jounin gave no time for the Chuunin to catch her breath. Taking one step forward, Aya dashed towards Sakura, her Crescent Blade glimmering dangerously. Digging her own blade into the forest floor, the pink haired girl gave herself some leverage before pushing herself off to another direction, not a second too soon before Aya's weapon met the tree trunk. A long slice on her right thigh opened as blood started to flow steadily from the long gash. Wincing as she steadied herself on her feet, she began performing a quick series of hand seals as Aya began pulling away her lodged weapon.

"Kanashibari no Jutsu!"

Sakura's jade green eyes bore into Aya's amethyst ones as she performed the Gen Jutsu technique on the Jounin. Pulling out her Crescent Blade, Sakura moved into the safety of the trees. The sparring session had barely started and already she had to use her techniques. Lodging her Crescent Blade momentarily into the tree branch, Sakura had begun to perform Chiyute no Jutsu to close the wound on her thigh, to make sure it wouldn't be infected in any way. Down below, Aya was struggling to perform the hand seal required to cancel out the Gen Jutsu. She couldn't move her body. It felt like her body was being dragged down by heavy weights. After what seemed like forever for the Jounin, she had managed to position her hands and cancel out the Gen Jutsu.

"Sly, very sly Sakura," she said as various shapes, sizes and colors assaulted her senses. Falling into stance once more, the Jounin began looking for the pink haired Chuunin, hidden amongst the leafy foliage up above. Lifting her Crescent Blade to her right, she deflected a few shuriken, giving away Sakura's position. "Think, Sakura!" shouted Aya as she moved towards that direction, deflecting more shuriken and kunai on her way there, "Throwing projectiles haphazardly like that will give away your position!" As she inched closer, Aya's violet eyes widened as she heard paper crunch beneath her feet. Looking back, she saw multiple sparks ignite. Sakura wasn't trying to strike her to begin with! She had used the shuriken and kunai as distractions so the Jounin wouldn't notice the presence of exploding notes stuck on the weapons. "Shimatta!" she cursed as she jumped into the bushes, avoiding most of the impact. Despite her quick reflexes, a rather large stone managed to slam itself onto the midsection of her right shin, the jagged edges tearing a muscle in the process.

Sakura jumped from the trees, her arms crossed over each other, her Crescent Blade pointing outwards. Dragging her right leg as fast as she could, the Jounin launched herself into the bushes as Sakura's Crescent Blade swung one hundred and eighty degree horizontal swing. As soon as the swipe was completed, Sakura had concentrated chakra onto her left hand, punching the ground and releasing the chakra in a split second. The ground ripped apart as chunks of hard earth poked out in a haphazard pattern. Straightening her posture, Sakura's jade green eyes focused themselves onto Aya's broken and beaten body, lying unconscious on the earth. A shout from behind broke Sakura's concentration as the pink haired Chuunin struggled to pick up the Crescent Blade, the weapon clashing with another one of its kind. The Aya behind her disappeared in a puff of smoke, the Chuunin falling under the weight of the impact. A long gash appeared on Sakura's right arm, her blood flowing steadily.

"Kanashibari no Jutsu!" shouted Sakura once more after forming the appropriate series of hand seals. Aya jumped back, quickly canceling the Gen Jutsu before her entire world darkened once more. Sakura's chakra, however, wasn't a waste. The pink haired Chuunin managed to move back and hide. There wasn't any time to perform Chiyute no Jutsu once more and seal the wound and avoid the next attack. Aya's blood dropped onto her thigh, caking almost instantaneously, as the pink haired girl moved back. The Jounin already knew where she was hiding. The sparring session would end soon enough. In the blink of an eye, the Jounin appeared in front of Sakura, charging with the final blow. With nothing left up her sleeves in such a limited space, the Chuunin charged forward. Seconds later, both kunoichi were hunched forwards, their legs spread apart. Sakura began falling to the forest floor, tired, her Crescent Blade beside her. Before her body could reach the floor, Aya had caught her.

"Impressive, very impressive," said Aya as she handed Sakura a soldier pill to eat to regain her strength. The pink haired girl took it gratefully and began chewing it. "Been a while since I had sparred like that with anyone, even with a Jounin," began Aya as she helped Sakura stand up and lean against a tree, struggling with her wounded and painful right shin, "And you're the first in a while to make me fight like that." Sakura laughed nervously as she looked at Aya's bloodied shin. The blood from her arm had already started to mix with her sweat, a stinging sensation throbbing through the open wound when her sweat fell into the wound. "If you don't mind, could you check up on it? I really think the muscle tore," said Aya with a laugh as she scratched the back of her head. Sakura nodded as she motioned for Aya to sit down with her right leg stretched out, her strength starting to return to her.

"Yeah, the muscle did tear," murmured Sakura as her trained green eyes focused themselves onto the exposed internal body of the Jounin. Gingerly, Sakura ran her fingers against the still connected skin. Aya winced in pain, biting her lower lip and clutching her hands closed, as she tried to avoid making any sounds of complaint. Laughing slightly, Sakura had begun to perform a series of hand seals. "Chiyute no Jutsu," she said simply as she began adding a higher concentration of chakra onto her hands. It would take quite a bit of chakra to regenerate the torn muscles and regenerate the dead skin cells. The Chuunin's brow furrowed as she let her hand hover over Aya's wound, her chakra regenerating the cells that had deteriorated due to the attack. "You'll be able to stand soon enough after this, Aya-sensei, but try as much as possible not to exert as much strain on your right leg," said Sakura as new skin began to close over the wound.

"Yes, Sakura-sensei," said Aya with a mischievous grin. Sakura blushed at that and just continued to close up Aya's wound. Aya had a lazy grin on her face as she leaned back, the tree supporting her. She had never really seen a Medical Specialist in action. If a Medical Specialist actually examined her, she was knocked unconscious by the time she was brought to the hospital or wherever the nearest Medical Specialist could be found. The blue light emanating from Sakura's hands was cool to her undamaged skin but stinging on the skin that had separated from each other. "And this is why Ran idolizes you, Sakura," complimented Aya as she ran a hand through her goldenrod hair. Sakura reddened even further. "I mean it! You're talented in Medical Nin Jutsu and you have a very good head on your shoulders," said Aya. Sakura nodded slowly, continuing on the task at hand.

Three Weeks Later

It had been three weeks since her training began. Her fingers were already starting to get calloused that it was no longer uncomfortable for her to be holding the Crescent Blade for long periods of time. The basics were drilled in her mind and today, she was going to start using the Crescent Blade with her blindfold on. Indeed, she had been determined to learn and master the Crescent Blade. Aya had spied the pink haired girl training even past the set training schedule. Occasionally, she'd spy someone else with her, a blonde boy with ocean blue eyes, helping her train. When she was resting, they were talking like friends. Aya was impressed with the way Sakura was dealing with things. "Guess you were both right, Kakashi-kun, Godaime-sama, that Sakura is indeed one who is determined to learn all she can about things," said Aya to herself as she walked away from the forest. Behind her, she could hear things being sliced. Sakura was still training and it was almost eleven in the evening.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" shouted a male voice as a few other copies of him appeared, brandishing weapons. On the right hand, kunai stuck out between his fingers. On the left hand, shuriken were found. "Get ready, Sakura-chan!" the Bunshin shouted more as they charged towards her, letting go of the projectiles simultaneously. Sakura crouched low, as she stood there, her Crescent Blade glistening in the moonlight. Seconds later, she swung around a full three hundred and sixty degrees, repelling all of the projectiles that were flying towards her. Each weapon managed to strike a Naruto Bunshin, causing them to disappear. The real Naruto remained, effectively evading the shuriken and kunai that were sent reeling towards him. "That was great, Sakura-chan!" exclaimed Naruto gleefully as he ran towards the pink haired girl, a silly grin on his face.

"You weren't half bad yourself, Naruto," said Sakura as she scratched the back of her head, a satisfied smile on her face. Her Crescent Blade was now standing erect on the ground, a bit of it digging deep into the earth. Naruto grinned as he continued babbling excitedly. Sakura had her blindfold on and she was starting to get used to using the Crescent Blade without opening her eyes. The girl had trained far longer than required to in order to get used to moving around and wielding the Crescent Blade. Up in the trees, a certain other male watched down below. Even he didn't train so far into the night and among the three of them, he had been the most obsessed about training. "Naruto, can I trust you to bring my Crescent Blade to me?" asked Sakura as she faced the blonde male. A confused expression found its way to his face as he nodded slowly. "Thank you," she muttered before her knees buckled, falling to the forest floor.

"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan!" shouted Naruto as he managed to catch her without a second to spare. Her skin felt hot to his touch. The male up in the trees had to resist all urges to jump down and see what was wrong with her. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he shouted as a few more Bunshin appeared. "You guys should stay here and guard Sakura-chan's Crescent Blade while I bring her to Tsunade-ba-chan," commanded Naruto to his Bunshin before picking up Sakura and started running to where the Godaime could be found. The Bunshin nodded as they stood around the Crescent Blade, guarding it. "Sakura-chan, you shouldn't have trained if you knew you were sick!" muttered Naruto urgently as he dashed forth, "You really shouldn't have! You're the Medical Specialist, you should now!" Sakura had not the energy nor the consciousness to reply as Naruto pushed himself to move faster, before Sakura's life would be put in grave danger.

**Tsuzuku…**

Hah, yay! I managed to write chapter four before I actually left the house for my weekend vacation!

Hope you liked it and don't slaughter me for the lack of Sasuke's appearance. He just didn't seem to fit into any section except the very last part.

Kakashi finally makes an appearance! I feel sorry for him that he sort of got depressed because of how his team ended. In the end, he got over it and is now better.

By the way, Sakura's training lasts for an entire year before the Jounin Exams. We're just around one month into her training.

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Five – Two Days' Rest

**Chapter Preview:** "You should know better, Sakura," said Tsunade with a sigh as she sat down on the chair near Sakura's bedside. The Chuunin laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. "I mean, you're a Medical Specialist and you have gone under my training so I expect you to know better!" she added as she rubbed her temples. Sakura's fever had gone down, at least, but she was still too weak to train today. Tsunade had decided for her to postpone her training for today and tomorrow so that her body could rest. Kakashi, Naruto and even Sasuke were there in the hospital room, visiting the sole female in their basic four-man group. Standing up, she made one last reminder before leaving. "You're to do absolutely no physical training whatsoever today. I'm leaving Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke a last D-Rank mission to make sure you stay in this hospital room today and tomorrow," announced Tsunade. Sakura made a weary response as she fell back in her bed. This was the last thing she wanted to happen to her, for Sasuke to be able to see her fragility once more.


	5. Two Days' Rest

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Five – Two Days' Rest

Her tan eyes narrowed in frustration as she stared at the stack of paper in front of her. Who knew that she had this much work to finish! Looking up, her brown optics looked to see if the Jounin was still around. Another female was standing by the doorway, a stern look on her face. Indeed she was. Sighing, she picked up a pen with her right hand and pulled down a paper from the stack and began to scan through the white sheet. Her lips twitched involuntarily as her fingers drummed against the wood of her table. She would have finished long ago but she had fallen asleep in the middle of working on the current stack. The ink on her face proved that much. The Jounin who was with her refused to let her go home until the papers were finished. She really hated this part of being Hokage; so many papers that needed to be signed went to her office. She vaguely wondered how the Sandaime lasted in all those years in office.

"Shizune, could you get me some green tea and onigiri?" spoke the Godaime as she looked up. The Jounin looked aghast at the thought of even leaving her alone in the room. The Godaime could sneak out and go home instead of doing the paper work. "Even if you ask someone else to do it, like, Yuuta, to get me the stuff," said the Godaime with a sigh as she bent her head down low to continue working. She really could have used the chance to escape but in the end, she was too lazy to even do that. She could have at least had tea and onigiri to fill herself while she stayed in her office for another good hour or so. Sighing, she put the finished paper beside the tall stack in front of her as she picked out another one. It was going to be a long and tiring night.

Outside, Naruto was practically flying through the hallways, Sakura in his arms, heaving heavy breaths. The Chuunin and the occasional Jounin who were there tried to stop him from running but the minute they saw the sick Chuunin in his arms, they let him pass through. It was most likely urgent if Naruto was going to see the Godaime in the dead of night with a sick person. They didn't notice the rosy tresses of Sakura, her head pressed against Naruto's chest. The blonde Chuunin was cursing mentally as he trudged the steps. He really hated that part of the building and now was definitely not the time for them to exist. His heart soared with relief when he neared the Godaime's office. He could vaguely see the body of Shizune, leaning against the door frame. "Shizune-nee-chan, is Tsunade-baa-chan inside?" he shouted frantically. The Jounin peered towards his direction and nodded slowly, a look on confusion on her face. "It's Sakura-chan!" he explained as he jogged in place, the pink haired Chuunin in his arms.

"Naruto, can't you be considerate!" fumed Tsunade as she appeared behind the Jounin, ignoring the fact that there was a person within Naruto's hold, "I'm pretty busy, you know! I can't just always see you." Naruto's frantic babbles continued as he jogged in place, explaining Sakura's predicament. Tsunade's rage was soon replaced by fear and worry as she blanched. Sakura had been far too engrossed in her training to even notice that she was getting more fatigued every day that passed by. "Set… set her on the couch, Naruto," whispered Tsunade as she stepped aside, her skin paler than it normally was. The Chuunin nodded obediently as he entered her office. "Shizune, make sure no one disturbs me while Sakura is here," ordered Tsunade as she walked over to the unconscious girl. The Jounin nodded, slightly perturbed at the pink haired girl's condition. "Naruto, explain how Sakura got like this and Shizune, ask someone to get a bowl of cold water and a couple of towels," spoke Tsunade as she put her hand on the girl's forehead. She quickly drew it out because of the heat.

"Eh… Sakura-chan and I were practicing tonight, as we do sometimes," began Naruto as he fidgeted in place. Tsunade nodded as she motioned for the Chuunin to continue. "Well, after sparring, Sakura-chan and I just decided to talk and rest you see," continued Naruto, amazingly keeping calm after all that he had gone through. The Godaime nodded once more. "Well, then, she asked me if I could bring her Crescent Blade to her," said Naruto as he fidgeted some more, "So I said okay, even if I didn't fully understand her. She said thank you then she just fainted! When I caught her, her skin was burning hot!" Tsunade let out a sigh as the door creaked open. Shizune was back with what she had been tasked to get. "Shimatta!" cursed Naruto as he realized what he had forgotten. Tsunade and Shizune looked at the blonde boy. "Tsunade-baa-chan, Shizune-nee-chan, I entrust Sakura-chan in your care!" said Naruto speedily as he began running out, "I'll be back with her Crescent Blade!"

"Sakura-san pushed herself over her limits, these past three weeks," commented Shizune as she wrung out the cold water from the towel. The Godaime nodded as she took the towel and set it on top of Sakura's forehead. She could vaguely hear the water sizzle softly against her skin, but it was probably her imagination. She was too worried about the condition of the Chuunin. Tsunade nodded as she looked over the pink haired girl. Her skin was still hot and she was still heaving heavy breaths but at least her body was lying down on the couch. "Shall I inform Aya-san now?" whispered Shizune as she looked at the Godaime once more, worry painting her face. Even though she wasn't as close to Sakura as the Godaime, Shizune had fond feelings for the pink haired Chuunin under Tsunade's apprenticeship. The blonde haired female nodded as she dipped the second towel into the cold water and wrung it, removing the first and setting the second on top of Sakura's forehead.

The Next Day

Jade green eyes blinked open tiredly, fuzzy figures and various colors assaulting her vision. Tiredly, she set the back of her hand across her forehead. It was still hot but not quite the same temperature as it had been around ten hours ago. It was silent where she was resting. She could hear her heart pound softly against her rib cage. "This isn't where I want to be," she mumbled to herself as she sat up straight. Looking at the side table, she found her hitai-ate folded neatly. "Hmm, I wonder why," she whispered to herself as her fingers ran across the cold metal plate, feeling the impressions formed by years of use, the wear and tear getting to the metal. Her senses alerted when she heard the door creak open. A familiar female appeared in front of her, a smile of relief on her face. "Tsunade-shishou," she greeted as she bowed her upper body slightly. The Godaime had already entered when she looked back up. Three familiar men were behind her. It was the rest of Team Seven.

"You should know better, Sakura," said Tsunade with a sigh as she sat down on the chair near Sakura's bedside. The Chuunin laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. "I mean, you're a Medical Specialist and you have gone under my training so I expect you to know better!" she added as she rubbed her temples. Sakura's fever had gone down, at least, but she was still too weak to train today. Tsunade had decided for her to postpone her training for today and tomorrow so that her body could rest. Kakashi, Naruto and even Sasuke were there in the hospital room, visiting the sole female in their basic four-man group. Standing up, she made one last reminder before leaving. "You're to do absolutely no physical training whatsoever today. I'm leaving Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke a last D-Rank mission to make sure you stay in this hospital room today and tomorrow," announced Tsunade. Sakura made a weary response as she fell back in her bed. This was the last thing she wanted to happen to her, for Sasuke to be able to see her fragility once more.

"Sakura-chan, you shouldn't have trained last night if you knew you had a fever," mumbled Naruto as he crossed his arms, his blue eyes narrowing with concern. The pink haired girl mumbled her apologies for making Naruto worry. "I mean, it wasn't a big deal or anything, training despite the presence of a forty degree fever," muttered Naruto sarcastically. He really hated it when Sakura trained even further and disregarded her personal safety. There was a chance that something could happen to her and he didn't want anything to happen to what he considered his family, Team Seven. Sakura mumbled her apologies once more, dipping her head, her rosy locks covering her face. Naruto didn't seem to hear, keeping the same expression on his face. A fist landed on his head a few moments after. "What was that for, Sasuke-teme!" he grumbled as he pointed an accusing finger towards the Uchiha.

"Don't get me wrong, but I understand why Sakura did that," said Sasuke calmly, his onyx gaze refusing to land on the pink haired girl. The female Chuunin looked up, slight redness from embarrassment staining her cheeks. Even the Jounin of the five and the Godaime looked back at the Uchiha. "Really, I'm not siding with her or anything but even you would do that, Naruto, if it means strengthening yourself even further, to prove your worth as a Konoha shinobi," he muttered as he pocketed his hands, balling them into fists once they were covered by the cloth of his white shorts. His outfit as a Chuunin was hardly any different from his Genin days, his shirt now black instead of blue. "Something I failed to understand four years ago," he mumbled simply as he looked away. His line of thought then was to gain every possible amount of strength he could, even if it meant straying and taking a bite of the Devil's fruit. He didn't understand that Konoha would be there to help him grow stronger. Tsunade smiled as she stood up.

"Well, I'll be going now," she informed as she put her hand on Sakura's head, "And don't you dare get out of that bed unless to go to the bathroom or something." Her fingers pulled slightly at Sakura's rose colored tresses, the Chuunin flinching slightly. Sakura nodded as an apologetic look found its way to her face once more. "Good," said Tsunade with a smile as she let go of Sakura's hair, the pink locks messed up, "I'll have Shizune or Aya come by to visit with some fruits that will be good for you. Don't put the blindfold on until you're back in training. Just, give yourself a break for now, Sakura." Sakura whispered her thanks as she covered her eyes with the back of her hand once more. The glare was starting to hurt her eyes. It had been so long since she had last removed the blindfold and looked up at a source of light. "Oh yes, Naruto, what do you say?" asked Tsunade sweetly as she stepped back in, danger coating the words beneath her honeyed tone.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan, I didn't know what I was saying," he mumbled as he plopped down to the floor. Tsunade had already left the vicinity of the hospital after Naruto had said the first word. The pink haired Chuunin removed her hand from her face and looked at Naruto, saying it was alright. She understood perfectly why he was angry, upset really. He had every right to at that moment. "But I didn't need to blow up in front of you, especially while you're still recovering," he said, his voice strained, his blue eyes watery, "Never ever ever will I get mad at you again, Sakura-chan!" Naruto had hugged the slightly sick girl tightly after saying that. The Chuunin was starting to turn blue at the lack of air.

"Na-ru-to!" she choked out as she stretched out her hand, as if trying to grasp air. The Jounin had a slightly alarmed look on his face as he tried to pry Naruto off. Sasuke sighed once more. Things like this would never change, even if they were now four years older and supposedly four years wiser. Soon enough, Kakashi had managed to pry Naruto off of the pink haired girl, despite the iron vice-like grip the blonde was showing. Sakura was taking deep breaths to regain oxygen in her circulation which had been abruptly cut off courtesy of Naruto. "At least warn me if you're going to hug me that tightly," rasped Sakura, her skin returning to its usual pale cream color. Naruto laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head as he offered his own set of apologies. "Where's my Crescent Blade?" she asked worriedly, looking around in the room. She at least had to know if her new weapon was safe.

"Over there, wrapped in the white cloth," informed Kakashi, his lone right eye twinkling slightly. Sakura's head whipped to where Sasuke was standing, the Uchiha pointing to the C-shaped weapon whose ends were pointing dangerously towards him. "When Aya found out you had a fever and wouldn't be able to train today and tomorrow, she threatened to rip me apart limb from limb if I don't make sure your Crescent Blade was wrapped in cloth. Something about rust, she says," explained Kakashi as he whipped out his signature orange book. Sakura winced. Even if she was sick, that was no excuse for him to delay his readings. "I vaguely recall a mission involving you three, three rags, some metal shine, three whetstones and a room full of shuriken and kunai," said Kakashi, reminiscing the old days. The three Chuunin visibly winced at the recollection of that memory. The three of them had developed a habit of making sure all their kunai, shuriken and all other weapons were sharp and clean before setting out on any mission, D-Rank or otherwise. "Go to sleep. Tsunade-sama will have my head if you don't get any better," said Kakashi in a slight fatherly tone.

"Hai," she whispered tiredly as she turned on her side, her back facing the trio. Her jade green eyes fluttered closed almost instantaneously as she gave in to Kakashi's demand for her to rest. Her body and mind were still tired. Five eyes kept close watch on the sick Chuunin until they were absolutely sure she was asleep. It had been years since they last had a D-Rank mission, all of them sick of menial labor disguised at missions. For once, this was something all of them didn't mind doing. Usually, Sasuke had the urge to leave and train, or at least do something productive, if it involved him and a D-Rank mission. He didn't like staying cooped up and do absolutely nothing. But for some unexplainable reason, or at least in the Uchiha's thinking, he didn't seem to mind being cooped up in Sakura's hospital room for the next two days. In fact, if all his rational thought were lost, he'd even call the experience enjoyable.

Sakura's breathing became normal and rhythmic as minutes passed by. Three tensed shoulders relaxed as they decided to entertain themselves while staying within the room. Kakashi was reading, as per normal. Naruto was looking around in the hospital room, laughing mentally at the irony of it all. It was usually either him, Sasuke or Kakashi in a hospital room with Sakura fussing over them. Now, it was Sakura in the hospital room with the three of them keeping watch. They'd never fuss over anyone. It wasn't in their nature. Sasuke picked out an apple from the existing fruit basket and bit into it. Tangy sweetness spread in his mouth as images of him sitting idly on a hospital bed, peering out of the window flashed through his mind. Sakura was always at his bedside, a plate of cut and peeled apples on her lap.

"I never imagined this to happen, you know," commented Kakashi idly as he mechanically flipped a page in his book. This statement caught the attention of the two boys. "Sakura never seemed like the type to be sent to the hospital," explained Kakashi as his lone eye darted from right to left, reading what was printed on the book. The room stayed silent, the crunches from Sasuke biting into the apple as well as their breathing being the only sound in the quaint room. "Naruto has always been on dangerous missions, even as a Genin, and he puts himself into dangerous situations," explained Kakashi as he flipped the page once more, "Sasuke is strong and usually attacks directly. The aura he emits plus his Sharingan is enough to make brave enemy shinobi want target him, proudly able to say he was able to defeat one of the remaining Uchiha. I am a Jounin, enough said. Sakura was always the type to stay back and offer tactical support." Kakashi had stated the facts so calmly it seemed like nothing was wrong.

"That's why Sakura-chan is training! She's training to close the narrow gap between us," said Naruto proudly. Though he wasn't directly involved in deciding how Sakura was going to train one day and then how she would train the next, he was at least playing a role, no matter how small it was, in helping their sole female teammate strengthen herself. Kakashi nodded slowly as he flipped another page, the smoothness of the paper running against his fingers. The blonde boy looked towards the sleeping girl, a slight smile on his face. "I really hope Sakura-chan gets better soon. It doesn't suit her to be in a hospital room, nor does it suit us to watch over her," he commented softly as he cradled the back of his head with both of his hands.

"Aa," muttered Sasuke as he held the stem of the apple between his fingers, the core dangling freely. Spying a trash can, he readied himself to throw it. With pinpoint accuracy, the remains of the apple landed into the plastic bin with a soft thump. "It really doesn't," he added as he sat down on the chair situated behind him. Crossing his legs, Sasuke leaned back into the chair. With his arms crossed and his eyes closed, he began thinking of the events involving himself and his female teammate. Did his rejection that day really drive her to this point? Did she really have no patience to admire him the way she did, not that he minded at all. He had to admit, it worried him, though only slightly, to see her sick, tired and unable to do anything, but it showed her true determination to grow stronger.

Hours passed by with hardly any interruptions. During this time, the three males had decided to split their watches into six different segments. An initial watch would require the presence of all three. Sasuke and Naruto would then leave afterwards, as their mornings were usually busy. Both would be back in time for lunch. Kakashi and Naruto would then leave the Uchiha alone but be back in time during mid-afternoon. Naruto would be left alone for the last solo-shift with the two others back in time for a slightly late dinner. The trio would stay the night in accommodations that the Godaime had asked to be made. Aya had also visited though was greeted by a sleeping Sakura. Sasuke and Naruto had managed to meet the Jounin and learn more about the female who was tasked with training Sakura.

"It's time for bed!" said Naruto enthusiastically as he huddled under the covers. Sasuke shrugged carelessly as he looked for a place to sit, a blanket wrapped around him firmly. He had recently developed the habit of sleeping sitting down, explaining that it would be the easiest position for him if he was suddenly attacked. He had become a light sleeper ever since his family had died by the hands of the man who was his brother. Kakashi was situated on the second bed, since the Uchiha wasn't going to be taking it. "Good night Sakura-chan!" whispered Naruto to the sleeping girl. The female Chuunin had only been awake to go to the bathroom or eat her meals. Surprisingly, she ate the hospital food without complaint. "Night, Kakashi-sensei!" The Jounin mumbled something about Naruto being obviously too energetic to go to bed. "Night… Sasuke-teme," muttered the blonde forcefully.

"Hn," mumbled Sasuke as he flicked off the switch. Finding his way to the couch, the raven haired male sat down with his blanket around him once more. Shifting his position to a more comfortable one, he dozed off. He hoped for the pink haired girl to get better by the next day. He had better things to do than watch over a sick girl. She had better things to do than lying down in a hospital bed, sleeping to regain her strength. They both had better things to do than idle around in a white hospital room. "So annoying," he murmured in his sleep as he shifted his position once more. His dreams were always bothering him, be it dreams of that night or dreams of a certain pink haired female. "Why do I dream of you," he muttered as he fell deeper into his sleep. His dream world darkened, for the first time since his family had died, allowing him peaceful slumber. Perhaps, it was so because he was starting to learn how to face his fears. Or perhaps, it was because her presence was nearby, allowing him some comfort.

**Tsuzuku…**

I'm so sorry for the late update! The phone company had some cable problems so my internet effectively died and I enough self-respect to not go inside internet cafes! Or… the lack of available transportation to bring me to one comes into view.

And yes, this is day one. Next chapter is day two of her resting day.

Sasuke seems a bit bothered by Sakura's current predicament. Oh who am I kidding? Sasuke **is** bothered by the current predicament of our favorite pink haired kunoichi!

I really like the end! The fact that Sakura is nearby is giving him a chance to finally slumber peacefully, a dreamless state where nothing can go wrong.

And to make up for my late update, I've already got chapters six through eleven basically planned out. And, I really don't think PPV will be ending soon, as I've got the training to finish, as well as the Jounin Exams. I'm thinking of dividing PPV into two, the training and the Jounin Exams. The second part of this fanfic will be called **Past Peripheral Vision: Act Two**! That way, PPV won't be a fanfic with an insanely long chapter list.

If you read my one-shot collection, **As Time Passes**, I'm sure you've already read this announcement. For those who haven't, however, here it is!

Check out my fanfiction archive. The URL is: http / fidelis .hakkai .net

Take out the spaces and you're there. I advise you to check it out because there may be fanfics there that aren't in fanfictionNET.

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Six – Heart to Heart Talk

**Chapter Preview:** "So," she began as she clasped her hands together. Her heart was beating erratically against her rib cage as her cheeks reddened due to embarrassment. His sharp onyx eyes watched as their fellow Chuunin and their former Jounin sensei began walking away from the hospital, both of them chattering good naturedly. He didn't respond to what seemed to be her attempt of trying to spark up a conversation. "Sorry," she mumbled as she ran an irritated hand through her rose colored tresses, "If it weren't for my weakness, you wouldn't be here watching over me. You'd be doing something else that's much more important." That statement caught his attention. Turning his head, he focused his onyx gaze on her. "But you know, Sasuke-kun, I'm not as weak as I used to be, or I'm trying not to be weak anyway," she said with a slight grin on her face. Facing him, the pink haired Chuunin smiled a strained smile. "And I hope you see at least that much, Sasuke-kun, I really do," she spoke. For some unexplainable reason, his heart tore at her current expression.


	6. Heart to Heart Talk

**0Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Six – Heart to Heart Talk

The morning sun peered gently through the half-open blinds. Thin strips of light landed softly on the bodies of four figures. The blonde of the four turned on his back, a grumpy look on his face as he pulled the blanket over his head. The pink haired girl was breathing calmly and rhythmically, her skin already losing most of its redness from yesterday. The raven haired male's head bobbed slightly as his hands clutched the blanket around his body. The silver haired male's lone onyx eye was open, his eyelid closing and opening silently. The cold, dry air bothered his nose, a stinging pain in his system. Sitting up, he looked around to the three Chuunin who were still asleep. His right eye crinkled slightly as he looked at the raven haired male. He was most likely already awake, just pretending to be asleep. Raking his fingers through his silvery hair, the Jounin sighed in relief as he looked at the sleeping girl. At least she was asleep for most of yesterday, regaining the strength she was losing quickly because of the fever.

"You know, Sasuke, you don't have to pretend you're asleep," spoke the Jounin, his right side facing the raven haired male. Sasuke's lips twitched involuntarily as he clutched the blanket closer towards his body. "What are you afraid of, eh? She may have given up on you but that doesn't mean you don't have a chance," spoke Kakashi, giving advice like he always did, "I have a feeling that deep within her, she can't erase the fact that she loves you so much that she'd even die or kill for you." Sasuke hissed softly like a vampire forced outside of his dark domain. Kakashi shrugged as he scratched the back of his head. "I know someone who never got the chance to say he loved this girl he liked since we were kids," said Kakashi plainly, bitter and cold memories assaulting his mind, "That is, until he died though. One of the last things that he said was his confession. I don't think Sakura could bear to find out your real feelings for her right at your deathbed, nor do you want to scar her forever."

"Feh," mumbled Sasuke as he stood up and walked silently to the bathroom. Looking back, Sasuke had a bitter look on his face. "Who are you to tell me that, Kakashi? If I recall, you don't even have a loved one anymore," muttered the Uchiha coldly before turning around and entering the room in order to wash his face. Kakashi shrugged carelessly as he looked back at the two sleeping Chuunin. Naruto's body twitched at the cold, the Jounin reckoning it would only take a few minutes before he'd wake up and complain. Sakura was already awake; her eyes open as she blinked quietly. Did she really just hear what Kakashi and Sasuke were talking about? Or was her mind just playing tricks. She had more faith in the latter than in the former. It just wasn't Sasuke to think that way.

"I know you heard that," said Kakashi as he moved his legs down to the floor, his bare feet touching the cold marble. Sakura blushed slightly at the somewhat accusation of eavesdropping. "It's just my opinion you know," he said as he bent down to wear his sandals, "I'm not quite sure how that boy's mind works. No one does. My guess is just as good as yours when it comes to what he's going to do next or what he's thinking about." Sakura nodded as she sat up straight, running her fingers through her rosy tresses. "How are you feeling?" asked Kakashi with a fatherly tone, walking up to his former student. His question earned him a bright grin as Sakura stretched out her arms, emphasizing that she was feeling great. "One day's rest ought to do it," said Kakashi as he rested his hand on top of her head, "So you better stay in that bed!" He ruffled her hair with a silly grin beneath his mask.

"Hey," pouted Sakura as she swatted away his hand. The Jounin merely evaded it and continued messing around with her pink hair. "No fair," complained Sakura as she continued swatting at his hand, "You're not supposed to do this to someone who's just recovering!" Kakashi laughed as he drew back his hand and pocketed it. "Much better," said Sakura with a grin, trying to remove the tangles in her unkempt here. A door swung open and closed softly, Sasuke stepping out with a slightly wet face, water droplets dripping softly to the floor. "Morning, Sasuke-kun," she said with a half-smile on her face, waving. Kakashi waved as well, earning a sharp glare from the Chuunin. "How was your sleep?" she asked as she watched him plop down on the couch. It was no secret to the members of the former Team Seven that he had nightmares of that bloody evening.

"Fine," he mumbled as he leaned back, his eyes closed. Soft sniggers were heard from bedside. "Just… wake up already, dobe," he said exasperatedly, shooting a dark look towards the lump on the spare bed. A familiar harrumph was heard as Naruto threw off the covers, shooting his own glare towards Sasuke. The two male Chuunin then began their customary staring contests. Sakura and Kakashi shook their heads in both disapproval and amusement. They disapproved of it because they were supposed to be older and wiser, no longer involved in such childish pursuits. They were amused because it reminded them both of their Genin days, when everything just seemed right, the keyword being seemed of course. Underneath all that was a maelstrom of torment and confusion, a single ray of light guiding the way of the three males who had misguided pasts.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, are you feeling better?" asked Naruto as he stumbled towards her bedside, an eager and hopeful look on his face. Sakura nodded slowly and Naruto reached out to hug her once more. Kakashi twitched as he held Naruto's arm, trying to pry him off again of the already blue-skinned and choking Sakura. He'd never learn to control his own strength, at least when he was excited with things like that. "Sorry, Sakura-chan, I guess I forgot," said Naruto with a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his head. The pink haired Chuunin wasn't paying attention. At the moment, she was trying to take in the air she had just lost. Sasuke turned his head away, lest he be accused of staring. He was merely checking if Naruto was acting like the idiot that he usually was, at least outside of battle, and choked Sakura again with his bear-hug.

"Shoo off and go get Sakura's breakfast from the nurse's station, the both of you," instructed Kakashi as he motioned for them to move with his hands. Both Chuunin looked skeptically at the Jounin but nodded anyway. "Don't forget to ask for non-hospital food for the three of us! Or at least for me if you boys can stand it!" called out Kakashi to both Naruto and Sasuke. Both the male Chuunin managed to suppress an involuntary shiver at the thought of hospital food. "Don't understand how you can stand the stuff, Sakura," muttered Kakashi as he pulled out a chair and sat down. Sakura mentioned something about hospital food being the only thing she could eat during a certain point in her training as a Medical Specialist. She was clearly one of the best at such a young age but that didn't mean she couldn't train further in the field. "As you are a Medical Specialist, you really are expected to be the one to watch over your health, at least among the four of us," said Kakashi sternly.

"I know I know but I've been really preoccupied with my training," said Sakura ruefully as she clenched her hands around the blanket. Kakashi wagged his finger at her sentence. "Okay, fine. I haven't been preoccupied. I've been obsessed," said Sakura dully as the words rolled off her tongue leaving a bitter aftertaste. "But I really want to be recognized, you know," explained Sakura as she looked at her former Jounin instructor, "It's great and all to be recognized by the entire village for my skills as a Medical Specialist but it's different from being recognized by my own teammate. You and Naruto are fine but it's just Sasuke-kun. He's so stubborn." Kakashi nodded in agreement. It was really hard to earn the Uchiha's respect. He had gained a bit of it overtime but never did Sasuke call him Kakashi-sensei. They were on first name basis since the beginning. He didn't mind, to say the least. At least it didn't remind him of his age but the lack of respect stung him a few times before he convinced himself Sasuke was on first name basis, forcefully on everyone else's part, with everyone except the Hokage. Even he knew the boundaries.

"Don't push yourself, okay?" warned Kakashi as he crossed his arms, "Even if you do train and train, if you keep getting sick because of it, how will you earn his respect?" Sakura nodded slowly as she blushed again. It was really ironic that she, one who was a master at human anatomy and the way the body worked, would forget about her own safety and health, just to prove herself to someone. If she really did have to prove herself, taking a step at a time was the way to go. She had just bitten off more than she could chew with what she did. "Now, all you have to do is rest for today, don't dwell on the past and by tomorrow, you'll be ready to go!" said Kakashi cheerfully as he leaned back on his seat, "Still, I'm sure Tsunade-sama will tell Aya to give you light exercises, progressing to more difficult ones as soon as you get better but, at least, you'll be starting again." The door swung open and the scent of food assaulted the senses of the Jounin and the recuperating Chuunin. "And here's our food," he said as his right eye crinkled slightly, looking behind.

"Nurses said everyone has to eat the food they prepared," muttered Sasuke stiffly as he walked over to Sakura's bedside and set the tray on the moving table, shoving it slightly to send her food towards her. Kakashi groaned as he poked at his food. Hospital food was probably something that could cause his death rather than help him recover. "The nurses also said that breakfast is the food that no one complains about. It's just a couple of pieces of bread, some butter, some jam and orange juice," said Sasuke as he sat down, not minding the amused look on the Jounin's face. What did Kakashi have to be amused about? He just relayed what the nurses had told him to say to the silver haired Jounin. "What?" he hissed as he picked up a butter knife and threatened to stab the Jounin with it.

"Nothing, it's nothing at all," said Kakashi with a wry look on his face. Stretching the material of his mask with his finger, he looked at his dilemma. "I'll take this to the Jounin's lounge and eat there in private. No Jounin is ever here at six-thirty in the morning. Visiting hours doesn't even start at that time," said Kakashi, standing up and excusing himself. The Jounin maneuvered his way to the door, balancing the tray filled with his breakfast. Stopping, he looked back at the three eating Chuunin with a grin on his face. "Just like old times, this scene is. Naruto is currently gobbling up his food while you two both have this look of disapproval on your faces, neatly eating," said Kakashi, reminiscing. "Oh, that and Sasuke is suspiciously located near Sakura," he added with a wry grin. He quickly exited the room and closed the door right when a couple of sharp kunai lodged themselves on the wooden door. He absolutely couldn't resist adding that last statement, even if it cost him his life! Or a few strands of hair on his head in his case.

In the Afternoon

Kakashi and Naruto excused themselves for a couple of hours, noting it was already Sasuke's shift in watching over Sakura. The pink haired Chuunin couldn't believe that Sasuke had remained in her room, alone, and watching over her as Kakashi and Naruto did whatever else they needed to do. Sasuke didn't particularly care that he had to watch over her alone, for so long as silence, comfortable to him, was in the room. Yesterday was bearable because she was asleep during his shift, as she was for most of the day. She was awake now and he had a feeling that things wouldn't go the way he would have liked them to. Things never went according to his plan when she was around. It was embedded in her nature, likely subconscious, to somehow ruin his meticulously planned day. Crossing his arms, the male Chuunin made his way to the window to watch what was going on outside. Might as well pretend he was busy so she would do something else to entertain herself.

"So," she began as she clasped her hands together. Her heart was beating erratically against her rib cage as her cheeks reddened due to embarrassment. His sharp onyx eyes watched as their fellow Chuunin and their former Jounin sensei began walking away from the hospital, both of them chattering good naturedly. He didn't respond to what seemed to be her attempt of trying to spark up a conversation. "Sorry," she mumbled as she ran an irritated hand through her rose colored tresses, "If it weren't for my weakness, you wouldn't be here watching over me. You'd be doing something else that's much more important." That statement caught his attention. Turning his head, he focused his onyx gaze on her. "But you know, Sasuke-kun, I'm not as weak as I used to be, or I'm trying not to be weak anyway," she said with a slight grin on her face. Facing him, the pink haired Chuunin smiled a strained smile. "And I hope you see at least that much, Sasuke-kun, I really do," she spoke. For some unexplainable reason, his heart tore at her current expression.

"Then take note of your health, Sakura," he said as he looked towards her, a cold, unfeeling emotion dancing across the dark pools he called his eyes. The pink haired female nodded, flinching internally. She mentioned something about the irony of it all, about how she was the one lying down on the bed and how he was just standing there, somewhat watching over her. "Hn," he murmured as he picked up a red spherical fruit. He had grown a liking to apples, the tangy sweetness just right. He didn't know why he did. It was probably all those days sitting uselessly on the hospital bed with her at his bedside, a plate of peeled apples on her lap. Throwing it up in the air and catching it nimbly with his left hand, Sasuke picked up the knife nearby and began peeling it. Why he was doing so, he really didn't know.

"Sasuke-kun, you like apples a lot, don't you?" she asked. It was more of a statement than a question to begin with. The Uchiha paid her no mind as he continued removing the red skin that covered the pale yellow-white flesh beneath. "Guess you do," she said to herself as she raked her fingers through her rosy tresses. She let out a sigh as she looked at him, seriousness written on her face. "Sasuke-kun, you're going to participate in the Jounin Exams next year, aren't you?" she asked as she faced the Uchiha's back. Sasuke nodded slowly, biting into the apple, as he managed to suppress a shiver. Since when did her voice have any effect on him? It wasn't supposed to have any effect, positive or negative, to begin with. "Ganbatte," she said softly as she let her fingers brush against her pale cheek, "I hope you become a Jounin next year. Being a Jounin means you'll be one step closer to achieving you dream right?" In a flash, Sasuke disappeared from his earlier place, now in a position much closer to her. His lips were barely an inch away from hers.

"So annoying," he muttered as his eyes narrowed. Sakura's heart began pounding against her rib cage, the rhythm erratic. Her cheeks were starting to redden as the seconds passed by. She could feel his hot breath dancing against her skin. She could see everything about Uchiha Sasuke. His eyes betrayed him. What the rest of his body seemed to show was everything opposite of what the eyes truly said. She could read his vulnerability, his confusion. Exactly what he was vulnerable to and confused about, she didn't know. She was feeling the exact same way to begin with, vulnerable to him and confused about him. "You're so annoying," he stated once more as his head moved slightly. Sakura flinched internally. She didn't need to be reminded. "Always making me do things that I never planned to do," he added in the same quiet and accusing tone. Without any warning, he seized her lips. The spur of the moment action caught her in surprise and in her mind, she could only think of two things. One was that the Uchiha Sasuke was voluntarily kissing her and the second was that he tasted of apples.

**Tsuzuku…**

Hm. Chapter six finished with a rather unexpected end. On your part of course, not so on mine.

I hope you liked it because I had a blast writing it these few days, around three mind you.

Most of the "heart to heart" talk in this chapter is between Kakashi and Sakura really but hey, Sasuke and Sakura sort of had a heart to heart talk! Or at least in my opinion they did.

And yet again, this one isn't really an eventful chapter. Next chapter, however, she'll be out of the hospital. Hope you stay tuned until then.

Side-note, nothing really important but I'd like to say it anyway. 19 more reviews until **Past Peripheral Vision** meets the 100 review mark! Hope you help get it to there!

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Seven – A Solo Mission

**Chapter Preview:** "This is a solo B-Rank mission," stated the Godaime as she unfurled a scroll and looked at scroll that lay on top of her table. The Jounin were far too busy doing other more important missions to deal with their occasional B-Rank ones, leaving the Chuunin to do the mission. "I'd normally assign this as a Chuunin Team mission but considering the risks involved, it has become a solo mission," explained Tsunade as she faced each and every one of the Chuunin that were there. "In Kaen Village, about half a day's travel from here, there is a minor mafia who's holding the village leader's daughter hostage. The mission is for you to rescue the daughter and bring her back safely to her father," continued Tsunade as she rolled up the scroll and held it in her hand as if handing it to someone. The Chuunin talked amongst them as to who would be assigned this mission. "Haruno Sakura, you are in charge of this mission. You depart for Kaen Village in one hour," ordered Tsunade as she stretched out her hand towards the pink haired Chuunin's direction.


	7. A Solo Mission

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Seven – A Solo Mission

A weak smile found its way to her face as she brushed her rose tresses free of tangles that might have formed when she dried her hair after her shower. It had been exactly two months ago when she had first started training with a blindfold on. It had been two months and a day since she had received the final blow her fragile heart could take. With a sigh, she set down her brush and let the fingers of her left hand brush against the cold metal of her hitai-ate. It had been so long since she had the liberty of seeing all that she wanted to see. She didn't have to wear her blindfold when she was sick but she didn't want to remove it because of that. If she would remove it already, it was because she had completed her year-long training and the Jounin Exams were coming. She was excited for it already as she wanted to prove to Sasuke that she was just as strong as he was.

Since the incident in the hospital, he had been avoiding her as much as he possibly could. Her cheeks turned pink whenever she remembered what had happened then. It was different when she had given him her first kiss impulsively. Then, it was more likely to happen, coming from her. Coming from him, she would have died on the spot and went to seventh heaven. She really almost did to begin with. Her heart and her mind stopped functioning the minute his lips pressed against hers, seizing them as if they were his territory. Moments after he pulled away with a frustrated look on his face, as if accusing her for making him do that, air went back into her system and her mind was reeling with thoughts and emotions she could not comprehend. With one final check of her equipment, Sakura gave a satisfied smile and made her way to the stairs, just when her mother called out to her.

"Sakura, breakfast!" shouted her mother, her much paler tresses of pink held back by a simple headband. Sakura shouted in response, saying she was already on her way downstairs. On the kitchen table, a couple of pieces of toast, some butter, some jam, a knife and a tall glass of cool orange juice was waiting the sole ninja in the household. Mugs of steaming coffee awaited the two adults, the same breakfast set before them. Sakura's mother gave a warm smile when she saw her daughter, ignoring the fact that the hitai-ate was still wrapped around her eyes, the symbol of Konoha visible for all to see. Though it pained them to let their only child become a ninja, they were proud that she was one of the most renowned ones, even at such a young age. "Sakura, can you tell me about your meeting with Tsunade-sama? If it isn't confidential," asked her mother as she looked at the seated kunoichi.

"Mission briefing," explained Sakura as she picked up a piece of toast and deftly dipped her knife into strawberry jam and began spreading the fruit preserves on the piece of bread. Her mother nodded in understanding, a pained smile finding its way to her face. Most ninjas had ninjas for parents as well, proud every time their child would get an important one. Of course they were proud of Sakura whenever she had achieved something; they never knew the feelings of a real ninja. They were simply civilians. They feared for her everyday she was on a mission, hoping and praying she would make it back home alive, safe and well. "The Chuunin who are free are asked to gather at Hokage Tower today," continued Sakura, somewhat sensing her mother's apprehensions. Her mother relaxed slightly. "So, it must be important for quite a number to gather. Or, Tsunade-shishou has a lot of missions to give today."

"Come home safely, Sakura," said her mother, grasping Sakura's free left hand and squeezing it slightly. The Chuunin looked at her mother and offered her a reassuring smile. Since when hadn't she been careful of herself? Since when hadn't she thought of the sanity of her parents at the back of her mind? She'd never say this to her parents, just to keep them at bay on what her life as a kunoichi was but she hadn't really been careful when she was a Genin. To a certain extent she was, but she'd do anything for Sasuke. She thought of even betraying the village, if it meant a life with him. She thought of staining her hands with blood at such an early age when she had been younger. "Please come home safely. I don't know what your father and I would do if we found out that you had died during a mission," she whispered softly as she let go of her daughter's hand.

"Okay," replied Sakura with a slight nod. It was all she could say for her mother, it was all she could do. Standing up, she walked over to her mother and gave her a hug. The older female returned the embrace, holding onto her daughter for as long as she could. Whenever Sakura had any mission briefings, there was a high chance that she would be going on a mission. Her mother had understood the very basics of the way the mission ranking system work. D-Rank was given to a Genin Team under the supervision of a Jounin. C-Rank missions were occasionally given to them but were usually given to Chuunin. B-Rank missions were given mostly to Chuunin and the occasional Jounin, as the rate of meeting a ninja was higher. A-Rank missions were given to Jounin as meeting a ninja was inevitable. Her mother didn't even want to think of S-Rank missions. "I'll be back later," whispered Sakura as she pulled away and began walking to the kitchen door. Her mother gave a weak smile and nod, prompting the Chuunin to go.

Hokage Tower

Sakura shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she mainly kept to herself. She knew the names of most of the Chuunin in the room, few fairly new ones within. She could feel them all glancing at her occasionally, slightly shocked at how she was wearing her hitai-ate. Shizune was currently there, taking the place of the Hokage while she was getting the various scrolls where the mission details were written down. Sakura had overhead from Shizune that they were mostly B-Rank missions that were going to be assigned today. Sakura felt her fingers twitch involuntarily. It had been a while since she had performed a mission, B-Rank missions or otherwise. Soon enough, the door opened and Tsunade appeared with a number of scrolls in her hand. All the Konoha Chuunin in the room stood up, as a sign of respect. Glancing at the ninjas, Tsunade motioned for them to sit down as she herself sat down on her seat.

"Missions that Chuunin undertake are going to be given today, mostly B-Rank and Chuunin-led Team Missions," explained Tsunade as she picked up a scroll and unfurled it, rolling it flat on her table. Looking up, she silently questioned to see if they understood. They all did. "For example, this B-Rank mission takes place in Okibi Village, about a day's travel from here. A small terrorist group is trying to take over the village and I hear they have a C-Rank Missing Nin on their side, the Missing Nin being from Konoha. Fubuku Mao, I task you to take charge of this team and bring Ogawa Dan, Tokuda Naruki and Yamada Tsuzuki with you. The Hunter Nin Kurakawa Mitsuki will also be in your group but will not be directly under you. You will leave two hours after this meeting is over."

The four Chuunin named nodded after hearing their mission. Picking out another scroll, Tsunade continued reading the various B-Rank and the occasional C-Rank missions that were in the scrolls. Sakura could feel slight jealousy rising in her blood as she had yet to be assigned a mission herself. She was aching to see how her newer, sharper skills would fare in battle and was hoping the Godaime would assign a mission for her soon enough. She would have to be patient on this, she knew that, but she just couldn't help but be impatient, much like Naruto back in their Genin days when he kept refusing the D-Rank missions. Tsunade could see the impatience written on her student's face that she had finally decided to give out her mission. Picking out another scroll, she looked directly at Sakura for a few moments.

"This is a solo B-Rank mission," stated the Godaime as she unfurled a scroll and looked at scroll that lay on top of her table. The Jounin were far too busy doing other more important missions to deal with their occasional B-Rank ones, leaving the Chuunin to do the mission. "I'd normally assign this as a Chuunin Team mission but considering the risks involved, it has become a solo mission," explained Tsunade as she faced each and every one of the Chuunin that were there. "In Kaen Village, about half a day's travel from here, there is a minor mafia who's holding the village leader's daughter hostage. The mission is for you to rescue the daughter and bring her back safely to her father," continued Tsunade as she rolled up the scroll and held it in her hand as if handing it to someone. The Chuunin talked amongst them as to who would be assigned this mission. "Haruno Sakura, you are in charge of this mission. You depart for Kaen Village in one hour," ordered Tsunade as she stretched out her hand towards the pink haired Chuunin's direction.

"H-hai, Tsunade-shishou!" stuttered Sakura as she stood up and walked over to the Godaime. Taking the scroll from Tsunade's hands, she bowed slightly before making her way out of the room. She could feel that Tsunade's lips curved slightly, forming a smile before picking out another scroll and reading the next mission. The minute she stepped outside, she nearly felt her heart break out of her ribcage. "Kakashi-sensei!" she said in surprise after making sure to close the door. With a grin and a wave of his hand, Kakashi greeted her. "How are you?" she asked good-naturedly as she stepped aside, if in case someone else would go out. The Jounin nodded and said he was fine, actually going to the Hokage for another mission. "I just got mine and I think it'll take around three or four days to complete, including the traveling," said Sakura as she waved the scroll. The Jounin nodded once more. "Well, see you around, Kakashi-sensei! I have to go prepare some stuff then leave the village afterwards. Tell Naruto and Sasuke-kun for me, will you?" With that, she waved her hand and began walking away.

"A mission eh? Hope it's something that'll challenge her but still keep her safe," said Kakashi to himself as he watched her figure grow smaller and smaller until he could see her no more. Scratching the back of his head, he raked his fingers through his silver locks. Heaving a sigh, he opened the door and walked inside the room. All eyes quickly looked back, the noise he made attracting their attention. "Ah, don't mind me," he said as he laughed nervously, motioning for them to focus their attention on the Godaime once more. Making his way towards Shizune's side, he felt his shoulders sag as he waited for the Godaime to finish. "She's almost done, right?" he whispered as he asked the other Jounin in the room. Shizune nodded with a slight smile on her face. "Good, I really don't like waiting," he explained as he watched the Godaime. Ironic that it came from a man who made a lot of people wait.

Nearly Twelve Hours since Sakura Left

It was already night when she was near the vicinity of Kaen Village, the occasional plumes of smoke rising from the houses nearby. Even at such a distance, she could feel the tension arising at the current hostage situation that the village was under. On her way here, while resting, she had read the scroll the Godaime had given her. The name of the hostage was Konosaki Mika, a seven year old girl. Her father was Konosaki Touya, in his mid thirties already. The group that was currently holding Mika hostage was called Akuma but to the Chuunin, they were no demons. They were located in a cave around an hour away from Kaen Village itself. Before she could head there, she would have to rest from her traveling from Konoha to Kaen and get as much information as she could so as to devise a plan in successfully finding the hostage and bringing her home safely to her father. When she had arrived at the village gate, all eyes were on her.

Entering the village felt strange to her, as she hadn't been out of her own for around two months. The Crescent Blade on her back proved intimidating to all that they avoided her, fearful for their safety and their lives. She didn't think that they would notice the Konoha symbol on her hitai-ate, as it was dark and the lightning came from torches that stood tall around the village, a good bit away from anything flammable. With a sigh, she began to ask people around if they knew where Konosaki Touya could be found. They stammered their replies and went away quickly, afraid of what could happen if they stayed near her any longer. A growl of frustration escaped her lips as she continued her futile attempt at trying to find him. Suddenly, a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"I'm Konosaki Touya," spoke the man as he held a sword in his hands. Sakura didn't flinch as she turned around, the blade barely an inch away from her throat. Any movement would result in him stabbing it through her throat, inevitably a mission failure. If she died, who knew what the village of Konoha would do to Kaen, as they were effectively responsible in the death of one of their best Medical Specialists. She couldn't bear to think about it and she wouldn't die easily to begin with. She wasn't a Chuunin in training for nothing. "What do you want from me?" he muttered as his eyes narrowed. She could somehow sense that his eyes were milky white, different from the Hyuugas. He was blind, most likely since birth. A smile found its way to her face when she found out he was the leader of the village.

"Touya-san, there's no need for you to hold an unfamiliar weapon," began Sakura as she deftly picked out the sword he was holding and stabbed it into the earth. Touya flinched at her small display of sheer power and skill. "Besides, I'm not here to harm you. Don't you recognize the symbol on this metal plate?" she asked as she let the fingers on her right hand brush against the grooves found on her hitai-ate. Taking his hand, she made him feel the cold metal and the engravings on her hitai-ate. A look of realization found its way to the male's face, his shoulders relaxing visibly when he found out she was not there to harm him. "Haruno Sakura at your service," she said simply as she dropped her hold on his hand, "And here from Konohagakure no Sato as an answer to your request for a ninja to retrieve your daughter from Akuma."

"I'm sorry about seeming so violent, Sakura-san," said Touya apologetically, scratching the back of his head. Sakura waved it off and followed the village leader into his home. The other villagers had relaxed when they found out her identity. "It's been a few days already since they took Mika-chan and we're really all just worried for her safety, as well as ours," explained Touya as he looked back at Sakura, his unseeing eyes reflecting true fatherly concern for his daughter. The Chuunin nodded slowly, knowing how it felt like to always be alert. But, back then; it was a different predicament, much worse than what Kaen Village was currently in. The Sound and the Sand were allied and were waging a war against the Leaf. It was horrible during the aftermath. Many lives were lost, including the Sandaime's, and it was so hard to even keep a cheerful face. "Please, make yourself at home," spoke Touya as he kicked off his slippers. The Chuunin nodded once more.

"I'll need you to tell me everything prior to the situation and everything currently happening, Touya-san," spoke Sakura bluntly as she stepped on the wooden floor, bare foot. Touya froze as he heard her say that. "Please, Touya-san," spoke Sakura as she tried to convince the village leader, "I need to know every detail possible so as to devise a plan with a success rate of one hundred percent. Mika-chan is just seven, far too young an age to die this quickly. I've known plans with ninety-nine percent success rates but they still fail." Touya's shoulders relaxed slightly, when he heard her say that. He didn't want to relive the memories but if it would help in bringing Mika back, he'd do everything. Hearing footsteps behind her, Sakura turned around to face another female. "Good evening," spoke Sakura politely as she bowed, "I assume you are Chiharu-san?" The woman nodded; her skin paling. "I am Haruno Sakura, here to help you regain your daughter, Mika-chan."

"H-how do you do, Sakura-san?" she replied, breathing a sigh of relief. Sakura nodded with a smile. "I heard everything, that you need to find out about how this came to be," spoke Chiharu softly, running a nervous hand through her hair, "L-let me prepare some tea before we talk about this. Anata, please bring Sakura-san to the tea room." With a bow, Chiharu excused herself to go to the kitchen to prepare some tea. Touya explained that Chiharu was always the shy one, a wonder that she confessed to him at all. In the tea room, Sakura was seated across Touya, his lips pressed into a thin line of frustration. "H-here you are, Sakura-san," said Chiharu as she set down a tray with tea and three cups. "W-what would you like to know?" she forced herself to say.

"Everything," said Sakura simply as she took a sip of tea, "I'm all ears." Touya had begun to say that since Kaen had a lot of hot springs and had very fertile lands, despite the usually searing hot weather of the country, there were various ways one family could earn an income. Most were farmers and their crops usually grew in abundance. Others, if they had a rich enough capital, started an onsen inn. Chiharu said that because of this, Akuma had decided to kidnap Mika for ransom money and possibly even control of the village. "Mika-chan has it tough," said Sakura absentmindedly, her mind already forming a plan. With a smile, she spoke again. "Don't worry, Touya-san, Chiharu-san, by tomorrow, I will be ready to assault the Akuma headquarters and bring Mika-chan back safe and sound," she said with a grin, "I mark this on my honor as a Konoha kunoichi."

"Arigatou, Sakura-san," said Chiharu weakly, tears brimming in her eyes, "I'll bring you to your room so you can rest. As much as we want to, it's much too late for you to head out now and it'll be much too inconsiderate of us to ask that of you." Sakura shrugged and let out another smile. Walking through the wooden corridor, Chiharu led the Konoha Chuunin to her room. Sliding open the shoji door, Chiharu let out another weak smile. "Sakura-san, this is your room. We manage an onsen so the style of the house is pretty old. I hope you don't mind," she said as she faced the blindfolded Chuunin. Sakura shrugged it off and thanked the woman. As soon as Chiharu had left, Sakura felt her heart tear and a solitary tear trail her face. The Uchiha manor was styled very similarly. She couldn't help but remember him.

**Tsuzuku…**

Finished with chapter seven!

I hope the B-Rank mission of Sakura is believable. And don't ask me why I wanted Touya to be blind. I guess, just to have a subtle reminder to Sakura as to why she was wearing her hitai-ate like that in the first place, to see beyond what eyes can see.

School is starting on **June 8** so my updates for **Past Peripheral Vision**, or any updates in general, will now be moved to the weekend (Friday - Sunday at GMT + 8 time). I've basically got **PPV** planned out, having a grand total of 27 chapters. I might add a 28th chapter but at least be sure that it'll take that many to finish this story. Then, I'll continue with **Past Peripheral Vision: Act Two**.

To find out what'll happen in the mission, wait for chapter eight!

Another side-note. Three more reviews until **Past Peripheral Vision **hits the big three digits! Thank you to all who have reviewed until now.

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Eight – Mission Completed

**Chapter Preview:** "Well, little missy, do you think you can handle all of us all by your lonesome self?" he spoke. Sakura's nose scrunched up at the smell of alcohol. His yellowing, crooked teeth formed into a cheesy smile. "You know, your life can be spared if you just give up and play with me," he suggested, perverted thoughts entering his mind. Sakura snarled as she slapped his hand away, the same hand that was nearing her rear. "Why you little…!" he hissed as he forced her to look at him, not that she could see him to begin with. She didn't want unnecessary blood to be shed. She could have easily slain everyone in the room within minutes but she was no murderer. She preferred not to kill but if she had to. Soon enough, her kunai cut through the rope binding her hands together. In a flash, she quickly formed hand seals and let her hand brush against his forearm. Screaming in pain, the leader of the small mafia pointed an accusing finger at her as he felt searing heat on his skin, like acid. "Seize that bitch!"


	8. Mission Completed

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Eight – Mission Completed

The sun hadn't risen yet when she woke up, and it still had yet to rise now that she ready. She left a note on the small table nearby, saying she was already on her way to rescue Mika from her kidnappers and that they needn't worry about her. With the information she had acquired the night before, she had enough right to say that they wouldn't pose too much of a threat to her. If she managed to get caught, she could always cut the bindings with the kunai she had hidden in her clothes. She would come prepared. With one final check, she made sure she had her equipment. She hadn't moved a kunai or a shuriken from their respective holsters and her Crescent Blade was on her back already, still wrapped in a flimsy white cloth, just to keep it from slicing anything as she moved.

Silently, she made her way outside of the house, her eyes seeing to make sure she was going towards the right direction. She would blindfold herself when she had gone past the vicinity of the village, studying the map for most of the night. At best, she had gotten around two or three hours of sleep but she was used to it. Passing through the gate, she paused and wore her hitai-ate. She would just have to go all the way north, avoiding any obstructions in the way. The cave of Akuma had hardly any distinguishable marks, seemingly a cave found in the environment if one didn't inspect it at a much closer range. Leaping from branch to branch, another plan began formulating in her mind. She could simply bust in and make her way through without hardly any trouble at all but she didn't want to risk any casualties. If she had to, she would. While she had a choice, she'd refrain from that.

A frown made its way to her face as she continued moving silently, the birds flying around, hoping to get an early start on whatever it was that they had to do. A nagging voice thrummed through the back of her mind as she tried to shake it off. Memories of a mission from before flashed through her mind. She had hardly been any help then, simply standing before their charge in an attempt to protect him, or at least show she was doing something. She had failed miserably. All she did there was stand there, holding a kunai with an intimidating pose as Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi fought the enemies that had assaulted them. It was what she always did in missions when they were still Team Seven. She had definitely grown from then and was now currently on her third solo mission.

"Mika-chan, stay strong," she whispered to the wind as she continued moving forward, a determined look etched on her features, "I'll be there soon enough." According to her calculations, the cave in which Akuma had made their headquarters wasn't too far from the village, only an hour away. By the time she arrived, the sun would have just started to rise or would start in a matter of minutes. They wouldn't expect an attack so early in the day and only from a solitary intruder thus their defense wouldn't be as strong as it usually was compared to the rest of the day. She could feel the cold wind brush against her skin, involuntarily shivering at the contact of the icy air. Pushing herself, she moved at a quicker pace. She wanted to see, or sense in her case, a smile on the faces of Touya and Chiharu. They were good people and she wanted to bring Mika back safely. She was too young, in her opinion, to go through such an ordeal.

Some fifteen minutes since Sakura had left, Touya woke up. He was always one to wake up early. His wife was still asleep as he focused his milky white optics on her sleeping figure, most likely rising a few minutes later. With a slight smile on his face, he got out of the bed and made sure the blanket was around her body, secure to keep her warm. It was always cold in the morning, the temperature growing hotter as the sun continued to rise. Exiting their room, his feet padded softly against the wooden flooring as he made his way towards Sakura's room. He had hoped to talk to the Chuunin about the situation of Mika before she left, or at least plead to her to leave as soon as she possible could. Lifting his hand, he knocked against the wooden frame that sealed the shoji door against the wall. Hearing no reply, he knocked once more. Silence met him.

"Sakura-san, I'm coming in," he called out as he slid the shoji door open. He couldn't feel the presence of another person, or hear her moving about. It was unlikely she was asleep. Striding over to the small table, instinct told him to sit down and feel about for something that was off. His slightly calloused fingers met the slight crunch of paper as the skin of his fingertips brushed against the dry ink. "A note," he murmured absently as he picked it up. He assumed she had just left a note to say that she was out for a bit of training or a walk before coming back to the house. Looking up, he heard his wife's breathing. "Could you read the note Sakura-san left?" he asked as he handed her the white sheet.

"Okay," spoke Chiharu softly as she took it from his hands. Her face blanched as she realized what it read. Touya had a look of slight confusion written on his face. "Anata, Sakura-san is gone," she murmured as fear painted her eyes, "She left already to assault Akuma by herself and she said she'd bring Mika-chan by noon." Touya's hands gripped his wife's shoulders nervously. It was dangerous to assault Akuma alone, even if she was a kunoichi and used to much more dangerous scenarios than this. "The note reads: Touya-san, Chiharu-san, by the time you read this, I'll already be on my way to Akuma. Please don't worry about me. By the time it's nearly noon, wait outside the village gate just north of your house. I'll be arriving with Mika-chan. Until then, please don't worry. Sakura." Chiharu bit her lower lip in nervousness as she dropped the paper to the floor. Now she was even more worried, worried for the life of her daughter and worried for the life of the one trying to save her daughter.

Inside the Cave of Akuma

"I wonder when Konosaki is going to bring the ransom money?" asked a guard as he looked at his companion. The second one shrugged as he leaned against the spear he was holding. The boss of Akuma had always said to come prepared so whenever they were on guard duty, they had to carry a spear with them, or at least a weapon to safeguard them from any intruders. "It better be soon," he growled in irritation as he shifted his weight from one foot to another, "I don't think the boss is willing to be patient anymore." His companion nodded once more, barely managing to stifle a yawn. Opening his mouth to speak once more, his eyes widened as he eyed who was in front of her. "Back up! We need back up!" he shouted as he positioned his spear into a jabbing position. His partner nodded as he ran in the opposite direction.

"Now, no need for that," said the intruder as she inched her way closer to the guard who had remained there, "I mean, I'm just one and you're probably going to call what, ten, twenty people to back you up? I'm just a little girl who stumbled her way to this cave." Her lips were dangerously close to his as he managed to suppress a blush, her rosy tresses partially shielding her green eyes. Loud rumbling of padding feet resounded through the small corridor as a look of irritation made its way to her face. "Shit," she cursed as she backed away from the guard in front of her. In a matter of moments, she was surrounded. Creasing her brow into a frown, she fell into a fighting stance. "Damn it!" she hissed as she weaved through them back and forth. On a one-on-one fight, she had the clear advantage but she was easily outnumbered and was in a rather constricted place. Her chances of winning were much higher if she had more room, even if they were the same in number.

An onslaught of strikes and blows, cuts and scrapes rained down on her as she narrowly managed to avoid the fatal blows. She didn't see fit to kill at the moment, merely stalling them. However, the small area she was in, she could do hardly anything. If the area was bigger and even if they were the same in number, she would have had an easier time. She could have busted the ground and caused her opponents to collapse on their weight. She could have performed a high-level elemental jutsu to attack but the lack of space had not allowed her to. Even using exploding tags wasn't an option, as she herself could get harmed with it exploded. It was hard to weave her way out of such a tight knot in such a tight space. Her last conscious thought was hoping that they wouldn't discover her hidden kunai.

"Bring her to the boss," commanded one of the higher-ups, a tone of authority in his voice. The men ambled around before one of them finally picked up her unconscious body and began making his way towards the main room. "You call yourself men," he muttered as his footsteps made heavy sounds, "Letting a mere girl get you all so riled up." They all muttered their apologies as they averted their gaze, remaining where they were. "Well, go back to your posts!" he barked as he looked back. Standing upright, they all stammered their responses before rushing off. "Useless, just useless," he mumbled as he continued walking, shifting Sakura's body on his shoulder to a more comfortable position for him, "Getting riled up by a weak-looking girl." If she was awake when he said that, she would have beaten him mercilessly into a bloody pulp.

Consciousness started to take over her as she lifted her head, still unable to see. A fat, balding man; his right fingers adorned with countless rings, which looked to be cutting off the circulation to his fingers, stood there. Beside him was a much more refined looking man. With the way things look, he was probably the assistant to the boss, the much more refined man beside him. Or that was the way the stereotypical mafia went about. "Where am I," she murmured as she kept her head straight. She heard a throaty laugh escape the lips of the stout man, the faint scent of alcohol lingering in the air. She hated that smell. It reminded her of when Kakashi was all depressed about the situation of Sasuke and Naruto. Feeling a bump, she picked her kunai and began severing the ropes that bound her hands together.

"Well, little missy, do you think you can handle all of us all by your lonesome self?" he spoke. Sakura's nose scrunched up at the smell of alcohol. His yellowing, crooked teeth formed into a cheesy smile. "You know, your life can be spared if you just give up and play with me," he suggested, perverted thoughts entering his mind. Sakura snarled as she slapped his hand away, the same hand that was nearing her rear. "Why you little…!" he hissed as he forced her to look at him, not that she could see him to begin with. She didn't want unnecessary blood to be shed. She could have easily slain everyone in the room within minutes but she was no murderer. She preferred not to kill but if she had to. Soon enough, her kunai cut through the rope binding her hands together. In a flash, she quickly formed hand seals and let her hand brush against his forearm. Screaming in pain, the leader of the small mafia pointed an accusing finger at her as he felt searing heat on his skin, like acid. "Seize that bitch!"

"Where's Mika-chan?" she asked as she held a kunai to the throat of the stout man, aware of the fact that she was surrounded once more. However, a room definitely had much more space than a corridor and there were surprisingly only three or four people within the room. She had expected a lot more. Faint gagged cries reached her ears, towards the far end of the room. "What did you do to her?" she asked, her voice coated with annoyance and danger. The man motioned for the others to attack her, even if she was just another girl. "I'll deal with you later," she growled as she turned around to face those who were closing in on her. "It's rude to interrupt when one is talking you know," she said plainly as she let her arm hang limply at her side, "Especially when you're dealing with a Konoha Nin." Their eyes seemed to disregard that fact as she dropped the kunai and drove her fist into the ground, letting out an explosion of her chakra mere seconds later.

"Wh-who the hell are you!" demanded the short man as he pointed a chubby finger accusingly at Sakura. She paid no attention as she drew out a kunai from her holster and began fighting off those who remained standing even after that impact. Most of them were already down and unconscious but there were a few who refused to back down. "Fujikaze, I order you to take her down, even if she is a girl!" he commanded as he faced the male who had been standing there. With an air of laziness about him, the man named Fujikaze began walking towards the rosy haired kunoichi. "That ought to take care of you," he said in a smug tone, "No one has defeated Fujikaze in a duel before."

"I advise you to step aside, miss, if you don't wish to get hurt," spoke Fujikaze as he stopped, a meter short away from her. Sakura turned to face him, the Konoha symbol engraved on her hitai-ate directly in front of his line of vision. Suppressing an involuntary shudder, he continued. "It's for your own safety, as well as the brat's," he said as he remained stationary. He knew of that symbol and he knew better than to tangle with one from the shinobi village of the Country of Fire. She made no motion to back down from her current stance. "You leave me no choice," he said with a somewhat sad tone as he fell into his own stance. It was his policy to not fight against females unless absolutely forced to. Now was one of those cases. Casting her hitai-ate aside, she focused her jade green eyes onto his sharp hazel ones.

In a quick flurry of hand seals, she began gathering chakra as she remained where she was. Confusion found its way to Fujikaze's face, unused to the fact that Sakura was using hand seals. He usually fought people in physical brawls, never ninjas. "Kanashibari no Jutsu!" she shouted as a wave of power hit Fujikaze, rendering him paralyzed. The male struggled to move as he looked at her for an explanation. "It's a paralysis jutsu," she explained as she began making her way towards the stout man, "I refuse to kill if I have the choice not to. It'll wear off if either you or I cancel it but the likelihood is that it will wear off when I choose to cancel its effects on you." Glancing at the stout man, she flashed a wicked smile. "By order of the Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, you will be brought to the country's capital for trial," she intoned as she drew out a kunai from her holster, "You, Inoue Enji are accused of smuggling, murder and kidnapping." In a flash, she drove her knee to his stomach and knocked him unconscious.

When she had finished her work, binding the mafia's leader and gagging him, she made her way towards Mika, a sincere smile on her face. Sakura whistled a happy tune in order to soothe the young seven year old, her hitai-ate laying forgotten on the ground. "Onee-san came to save me?" asked Mika weakly as she was finally able to talk. Sakura nodded as she began doing a customary check up on the hostage. It looked like she had been starved since she had arrived, of course not fully. They gave her the bare minimum to keep her alive and say she had been fed but she needed more food. A frown found its way to Sakura's face when she had discovered this. "Is anything wrong, Onee-san?" asked Mika as she clung onto the pink haired Chuunin for support.

"Nothing at all," said Sakura as she picked out the radio Shizune had given her. Though it was a solo mission, there would be back up lingering nearby if the mission proved to be too dangerous for her. "Haruno Sakura reporting," she spoke into the radio. A voice rumbled a reply as a faint smile found its way to her face. "Anko-san!" she said as a slight grin found its way to her face. She was the Jounin much like Naruto only older and a female. Her addiction was with sweets instead of ramen, however. "I have to bring Mika-chan, the hostage, home. The main people in the yakuza are all in the main room," explained Sakura as she picked the girl up and walked out the door, "It's the room all the way at the end." There were no other hallways in the cave, surprisingly modern despite its rugged exterior outside.

"Okay kid, we're on our way," said Anko as she ended the connection. Signaling to the three Chuunin nearby, the Jounin began moving towards the cave. In the back of her mind, she knew that the Godaime was really worried for Sakura, as she was one of the Godaime's favorite students, if not the most favored. She was standing on top of a nearby tree branch when Sakura had gotten out of the cave, a frail looking seven year old clinging onto the Chuunin. A frown found its way to Anko's face as she looked at the state of the girl. She was malnourished and weak, deprived of things a growing girl such as she needed. "Okay, time to bring in the trash!" ordered Anko as she jumped down, Sakura already moving towards Kaen Village, sporting her fare share of cuts and bruises.

Kaen Village

She was only a few minutes away from the village, the young girl struggling to remain awake. The people were crowding outside, as if hoping for some sign. It seemed that Touya and Chiharu had announced of her plan to assault Akuma alone, as what had been originally planned to begin with. The visit to Kaen Village was really just a stopover, to inform them that Konoha had answered their request and had sent a capable shinobi to do the job. Her muscles were strained, from moving with hardly any rest. She was partially drugged when she had been caught, only able to counteract the effects of the drug with a simple antidote. She would need time to prepare something that would effectively remove the toxins from her body. Bringing Mika back to her parents was a priority over her personal safety, she believed. She was nine years wiser of the world. Mika had hard much less chances to see the beauty of the world compared to her.

"Sakura-san!" said Chiharu breathlessly, tears forming, as she rushed towards the somewhat battered Chuunin. A faint grin found its way to Sakura's face as she shifted the half-asleep Mika on her back, handing her over to her mother. "Dear Lord," gasped Chiharu as she broke down in tears, just hugging her daughter, "Mika-chan! Mika-chan! Thank heaven's you're alright!" She didn't care that she was creating such a sight. She didn't care that she was kneeling on dirt. She was far too happy at seeing her daughter once more. Tightening her hold on her daughter, Chiharu just continued to sob tears of joy and relief. The villagers had gotten teary-eyed at the reunion of mother and daughter. Touya had walked towards Sakura and hugged her as if she were his own daughter, a couple of tears falling to her shoulders. She could feel the sticky liquid drop onto her bare skin.

"Thank you," he murmured after pulling away. Sakura smiled sheepishly and said it was nothing. It was her mission to bring Mika back and that's all that she did. "Our daughter means the world to us," said Touya as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Sakura nodded, understanding their feelings very well. Her own parents thought the world of her, their only daughter. She was the only one they could ever have, implications on her mother's reproductive system playing a role in her mother's infertility. "You see, Chiharu has always had problems in her reproductive system," explained Touya as he struggled to keep composure, "And we were lucky to even have Mika-chan. I thought Chiharu wouldn't survive when she was in labor. I'm very lucky to have them both with me." Sakura's heart tore at what she heard. Their predicament was similar to her parents' own, with the exception of Mika most likely not becoming a kunoichi. They didn't live in Konohagakure after all. Her family, however, did.

"It's an honor to have served you for this mission," said Sakura with a polite bow, her rose tresses shielding her watery eyes. Touya smiled and shook her hand, thanking her once more. "I, for one, am glad I was assigned this mission, two months after my own training," said Sakura with a slight tone of sadness coating her words. Touya opted to ignore that. "Anyway, I'll just prepare an antidote for myself and I'll be off. It's nice to have met you, Chiharu-san and Mika-chan," said Sakura with a polite bow. Excusing herself, Sakura made her way towards the village, passing through before making her way back to her own home. When she arrived, she'd treat her parents out to dinner with money she had earned herself the next day. After meeting Touya and his family and hearing of their similar predicament, her love for her own parents ran even deeper. "Okaa-san, Otou-san, I'll be home soon." Her words were carried by the wind with her hoping against hope that it would somehow reach the ears of her parents.

**Tsuzuku…**

And thus… chapter eight. I hope my description of the mission is reasonable enough. If there are any complaints, please feel free to tell me. Just… be tactful about it and somehow write it in the form on constructive criticism, not a flame. That's all I ask.

Oh! And have some evidence/proof to back up your claim. If there's anything I hate more it's when you make an accusation without solid proof to back yourself up. I mean, what's the point if you don't prove your cause, right?

On a lighter topic, this fanfic now has **one hundred and sixteen (116)** reviews! I give special mention to **Only Secret** for being the hundredth reviewer for this fanfic.

See you all next week for another installment of **Past Peripheral Vision**!

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Nine – Their Reunion

**Chapter Preview:** Whistling a happy tune, Sakura made her way towards the bridge that she had always stood on when she was younger. She felt nostalgia come over her senses when Kakashi had asked to meet her there, training of some sort. She hadn't trained under the Jounin in years, especially since she had been under the direct tutelage of the Godaime four years back. A silly grin found its way to her face when she remembered the days she and Naruto would shout at him for being late, Sasuke merely shooting a glare towards the Jounin. When he had given his useless excuse, they'd both shout 'Liar!' with so much force that it could topple down Hokage Mountain! Sasuke had snorted at this and turned his head away. When she had reached the bridge, she bit her lower lip in worry. She didn't expect to feel their chakra when she had arrived. She didn't expect them to come as well. She still felt awkward around him even if it had already been a week and a few days since the hospital incident. Forcing a smile, she walked up to them. "Naruto, Sasuke-kun! What a surprise to see you here," she greeted warmly.


	9. Their Reunion

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Nine – Their Reunion

_"Tomorrow, meet at the bridge at the usual time and because there's something we need to do," said Kakashi with a fond grin, resting his hand on Sakura's head._ That was the scene that kept replaying and replaying in her mind as the pink haired Chuunin brushed her hair. A new hitai-ate had been fastened around her head, her old one left behind when she had brought the Mika back to her parents in Kaen Village. When she herself had arrived home in the dead of night, after giving a brief mission report to the Godaime, she had been surprised to find her mother and father awake, worried. Her mother was especially worried for her sake because it was a solo mission. Raking her fingers through her rosette tresses, Sakura made sure there were no tangles. Satisfied, she set down her brush and made her way downstairs. She had risen earlier than her parents and ate breakfast ahead, dressing herself up later, as she normally did back when she was a Genin.

Padding down the steps, she made sure to remain silent. Her parents were still usually asleep at this time, the then Team Seven gathering by the bridge some time before six while they waited for Kakashi for an immeasurable number of hours. If one was to count the number of hours they had to wait for the Jounin manually, it would last a lifetime a thousand times over. With everything in place, the standard kunai and shuriken in their holsters, a thick wad of exploding notes and the Crescent Blade hanging on her back, the pink haired Chuunin exited the house, a note on the kitchen table she had written the night before on top. Her neat writing was obvious against the smooth, white paper. _Okaa-san, Otou-san, I'm with Kakashi-sensei today. Don't look for me with Aya-sensei and don't worry about me! -Sakura_

She was thankful the bridge wasn't too far away from her house, about a fifteen minute walk at the most, depending on how fast her pace was. She wanted to just spend some time looking over the river and remember the special moments that had taken place there. Kakashi had given the three of them the papers to their first ever Chuunin Exams back then. Her heart plummeted because she didn't want to take it but subtle hints here and there and the invisible encouragement on Sasuke's part made her decide to take the test wholeheartedly. The cool morning air brushed against her face pleasantly as she took a right. The bridge was in plain sight, getting bigger and bigger in one's line of vision with each step taken.

Whistling a happy tune, Sakura made her way towards the bridge that she had always stood on when she was younger. She felt nostalgia come over her senses when Kakashi had asked to meet her there, training of some sort. She hadn't trained under the Jounin in years, especially since she had been under the direct tutelage of the Godaime four years back. A silly grin found its way to her face when she remembered the days she and Naruto would shout at him for being late, Sasuke merely shooting a glare towards the Jounin. When he had given his useless excuse, they'd both shout 'Liar!' with so much force that it could topple down Hokage Mountain! Sasuke had snorted at this and turned his head away. When she had reached the bridge, she bit her lower lip in worry. She didn't expect to feel their chakra when she had arrived. She didn't expect them to come as well. She still felt awkward around him even if it had already been a week and a few days since the hospital incident. Forcing a smile, she walked up to them. "Naruto, Sasuke-kun! What a surprise to see you here," she greeted warmly.

"Ah, Sakura-chan!" said Naruto with a wide grin as he pounced over towards her, like a puppy would follow a master, "I haven't seen you since you came back from your mission!" Naruto paused as he remembered something. Opening his mouth, he spoke once more. "Well, I did but you left Tsunade-baa-chan's office hurriedly," he added knowingly as he nodded his head, as if in deep thought. The sole female gave a sheepish apology, explaining that it was late then and she had to go home to ease her parents' worry. "No trouble at all!" he said as he waved off her excuse, a warm, bright and understanding smile on his face, "I'm sure that your parents worry everyday for your safety." Sasuke's lips twitched slightly at Naruto's last statement. When he was younger, only his mother really ever worried about him. His father didn't think worrying over the welfare of his sons was anything important.

"Kakashi-sensei is going to be late again, don't you think?" asked Sakura goodnaturedly, leaning against the railing like she always did, looking at the still slightly dark sky. Both boys nodded in annoyance as they averted their gaze towards something that could entertain them for the next few hours. She didn't know if they knew why he was always so late. She herself didn't know until fairly recently! It had become her habit to visit the epitaph in memory of a fellow Medical Specialist she had become close to, Inoue Ayane. Ayane wasn't particularly known but she was talented enough to be sent out on missions as the official Medical Specialist of the team. She had blocked an incoming jutsu which was on its way to their charge, dying in the process. She had to go early one morning, as she had an entire day's shift at the hospital, stumbling on a rather solemn Kakashi. The Jounin made her keep it a secret, wanting the other two to remember it as they had always remembered it. "I hope he won't take too long," she added with a sad smile on her face.

A couple of hours had passed by and still there was no sign of the Jounin. Sakura had decided to amuse herself, counting the leaves floating on the river in her mind. Sasuke was content enough to simply stand there and watch whatever was going to happen in the background. Naruto was twitching in annoyance, really unable to sit still for long periods of time, unless he was on a mission. If there was only one thing that could catch his full attention, it was a mission. That and ramen did wonders on the boy's attitude. Running a hand through her cropped rosette colored tresses, Sakura felt the wind brush against the skin of her neck as her hair lifted up slightly from it. A sigh of slight irritation escaped her lips. Though she fully understood why he was late, it wouldn't hurt for him to remember any appointments he had set to keep the people waiting not so annoyed when he arrived.

"Yo!" said the silver haired Jounin, arriving in a flurry of leaves, standing atop a post. Sasuke remained unaffected by Kakashi's showy entrance. Naruto, and even Sakura, played their usual 'Liar' shouting along with the accusing finger pointing. "What? What did I do now?" he asked innocently, jumping done and examining the faces of the three he had taught. Since then, no one had ever been under him, reasons of emotional instabilty and the lack of enthusiasm to teach another Genin trio being the reasons. "Well, anyway, I hope you understand that I was late because I had to help this Obaa-san cross the street with a lot of groceries! I couldn't just very well leave her there now could I!" defending himself like he always did, memories of Obito flashing through his mind every time he did so. Except, back then, there was a higher probability of them being true. His were, as Sakura and Naruto so kindly put it, lies.

"It's rude to make people wait that long, Kakashi-sensei!" said Sakura as she crossed her arms, faking a pout. The Jounin knew better but she acted this way as to not rouse suspicion from the two other Chuunin who were there. Naruto agreed with a couple of punches at the air to emphasize that fact even more. With a laugh, the Jounin scratched the back of his head and apologized, promising to be earlier next time around. "You better!" she accused once more, sending a glare towards the Jounin. Kakashi nodded once more like a puppy scolded by its master. "Anyway, what have you called us all here for?" asked Sakura, deftly changing the topic. The two other male Chuunin nodded in curiosity, their attention focused on the Jounin.

"In Area 67, or the Entrapment Forest," began Kakashi as he drew out a scroll which had a map of the place the Jounin was talking about, "We'll be having our training. Area 67 is known for the various traps that have been set up there, from exploding notes to traps that release projectile weapons, despite it's ten kilometer diameter, smaller than all the other training areas. There are also various wild animals in Area 67, though not as many as the Forest of Death. A river flows from the northeastern part of the map and flows down to the southwest. We'll divide ourselves into pairs, both pairs starting in the southwest gate, following the river towards the northeast end. Each pair will be about a kilometer away from each other and you can set traps for the other pair. The first pair who arrives at the tower in the center, five kilometers away, then raises one of the two flags and waits for the other pair to arrive. Do you all understand?" The three Chuunin nodded, a glimmer of excitement visible in their eyes. "Now, for the pairs. Naruto and I will start in the left gate while Sasuke and Sakura will start at the right gate," announced Kakashi, a wry look on his face. The sole female shifted uncomfortably, her partner indifferent.

The Entrapment Forest

Sasuke and Sakura began moving quickly, stepping away from the obvious traps and eyeing their surroundings carefully for traps that were hidden expertly. It had been about thirty minutes since the four of them had entered the forest and they had probably only gone as far as two hundred and fifty meters from the entrance. The two Chuunin weren't moving as fast as they would have liked, extremely wary about the various traps that lay hidden. The Jounin had decided to humor them and talk about all his experiences in the Entrapment Forest, as well as the experiences of a few other highly qualified Jounin that they knew of. If they, as Jounin, still had a hard time within the Entrapment forest, what more for they who were training to become Jounin in next year's Jounin Exams? The sound of their sandals padding softly against the limbs of the trees were painfully loud in the silence. An explosion resounded, causing the pair to stop on a relatively stable and safe branch.

"Sasuke-kun, do you know what that was?" asked Sakura, slight worry evident in her voice. Though she was competing with both Kakashi and Naruto, she couldn't help but be worried over their safety. The Uchiha shrugged as his onyx eyes trailed the plumes of smoke rising about a kilometer away from them, three degrees below from what he assumed was one kilometer at zero degrees away from them. Sakura shifted her weight from one foot to another with slight uncertainty. Waving off her worry, she forced herself to speak. "Let's go, Sasuke-kun," she spoke softly as she leaped towards the next branch, landing squarely on her feet, "I'm sure Kakashi-sensei and Naruto won't die that easily." With one last glance, the Uchiha squinted his eyes to examine the plume of smoke even further, something off about the timing of the explosion, before following Sakura and continuing forward towards their goal.

One kilometer away from them, well ahead of the second pair, Naruto had a cheeky grin on his face. "I really think they fell for it!" said the fox boy enthusiastically as he moved in pace with the Jounin. Kakashi nodded, impressed at the blonde Chuunin's idea. They had set off an explosive note with logs to try and cause the other pair to stop and pause, even for a few moments. For a ninja, even a few fleeting moments could mean either a victory or a loss. Moving swiftly and silently, the two Konoha Nin continued moving forward, in hopes they'd arrive at the center at least a minute or two before the second pair. Sasuke hated losing and once he found out that he had been duped, his strength as a ninja multiplied to an even greater amount. "Ne, Kakashi-sensei, why'd you pair off Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan together? You know how the relationship is between those two," asked Naruto quietly as his ocean blue eyes became stormy.

"You know how I am, don't you Naruto?" replied the Jounin, speeding up his pace slightly. A slightly confused expression found its way to the Chuunin's face as he looked at the silvery haired male for an explanation. A soft smile found its way to the older man's face. "Nothing, it's nothing," he said finally as his lone eye sparkled slightly, deftly avoiding the edge of the kunai sticking out of the branch, the dark metal glinting. _I know how their relationship is going, I don't need to be told. Sakura is still teetering and tottering about how she feels about Sasuke, even if it has been two months since she had taken steps to sever any romantic feelings she has left for Sasuke. Sasuke, on the other hand, doesn't know how to react to the feelings he has deep within him for Sakura, causing the both of them to be even more confused. He loves her, yet he hates her._

In the other side of the forest, the pair consisting of a male and a female sneezed. Sakura slipped, missing the branch she was trying to land on and began falling down towards the forest floor. Shutting her eyes tight, Sakura concentrated on trying to hold onto something then find a way to get back up. Something encircled around Sakura, her cheek feeling cloth as her body was pressed against another. She felt her body being cradled like a baby's, a feeling of being protected washing over her senses. Opening her eyes, jade green met stoic onyx. If she stared hard and long enough, she would be able to see faint tones of red on his cheeks. "Ah! Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she murmured as he let her down from his hold, "Thank you for catching me." The Uchiha nodded slowly before leaping to another branch, silently telling her to follow. Nodding, she followed the Uchiha, both Chuunin pushing themselves to move faster. They had dilly-dallied long enough.

Near the Center Tower

Plumes of smoke were rising from various sections of the forest, the two pairs weary from avoiding the various traps. Sakura was replaying the various traps replaying in her mind. Whoever fixed up the Entrapment Forest was very fond of using exploding notes, she herself getting quite a number of scratches from the impact of flying through the forest after activating an exploding note. Long, slender wounds occasionally striped her skin, the rush of cold air making the blood go away almost instantaneously. Sasuke wasn't exempted from his share of wounds and pain either. He had been forcefully slammed onto tree trunks, his pupils going white momentarily before he managed to gain control of his body and maneuver his way to the least amount of harm possible.

"We're almost there," she managed to rasp out, tiredness obvious in her tone. Sasuke frowned as he moved further and further. Though the Jounin clearly said they could set traps for the other pair, it seemed that neither of them had the time to do so. It was hard enough avoiding the various traps that were set up. The plumes of smoke rising was enough evidence for outsiders to note that people were inside the Entrapment Forest. If they dared to examine the interior of the forest, kunai and shuriken embedded into the limbs of the trees, the soil and occassionally between a broken rock shouted even more what was already painfully obvious. Squinting, Sakura focused her eyes on the tower that was just some distance away, less than half a kilometer. "There's no sign of them from my vantage point," she said as she moved forward.

"Hn," murmured Sasuke as he jumped from tree to tree. Landing squarely on a branch, Sasuke heard something click, panic arising in his body. _Shit! Shit! Shit!_ Without thinking, he moved over towards Sakura and pulled her close to his body, sealing his eyes shut. He heard ropes snap as a storm of weapons, mostly makabishi dropping onto their bodies, scratching him repeatedly. An occasional kunai and shuriken flew out, wounding him even more. One weapon managed to graze softly against Sakura's skin, scratching into an already open wound, forming a cross-shaped wound. Opening his eyes, Sasuke barely managed to see that they were nearing the ground, his vision obscured by her rose tresses. Flipping over so that he was on the bottom, he landed with a painful thud, Sakura still close to his body.

Sakura's cheeks were bright red the minute Sasuke had held onto her suddenly. She closed her eyes and rested her cheek against his chest as she heard the weapons falling down. Now that they were both on the ground and in a somewhat compromising position. "Sasuke-kun?" she managed to breath out, her voice slightly muffled by the position they were still in. His eyes suddenly snapped open and forced her away from him at arm's length, as if he wasn't hurt at all. Pain coursed through his body as he bit his lower lip to prevent himself from groaning. "Are you alright?" she asked in concern as she looked at him. The Uchiha didn't reply as he stood up, limping. "Sasuke-kun, please, sit down," she murmured as she ran after him, "You're hurt." He looked towards her, his eyes burning. Sakura barely managed to supress a shudder. She thought she had seen his Sharingan.

"I'm fine, Sakura," he hissed with such fury, causing the female to flinch. If she weren't his partner on this mission, he would have probably wrapped his hand around her neck and suffocate her, even for just a few moments. Not minding the pain that was throbbing in his ankle, Sasuke managed to leap up to a relatively low branch and climb upwards. "Come on, Sakura," he shouted from up above before moving forward, pain throbbing continuously in his left ankle as he moved forward. The pink haired Chuunin followed hesitantly, making up her mind to use the Kanashibari no Jutsu on him and strike him at his neck to make him unconscious by the time they got to the tower. Her anxieties wouldn't be put at ease until she had done a check-up on his ankle and the wounds that he had gotten from the trap. In a matter of minutes, they were there, Kakashi and Naruto already waiting for them.

"Sasuke-teme, Sakura-chan! It took you a while to get here," pointed out Naruto as he made his way towards the two other Chuunin. Sakura smiled apologetically and Sasuke grunted in annoyance. The blonde Chuunin chose to ignore, or he simply didn't see, the fact that Sasuke was leaning on his right leg so as to not irritate his left ankle even further. "You both look really tired," said Naruto as he continued babbling onwards, still not noticing the fact that Sakura had made her way towards his side, so as to be face to face with the Uchiha. Kakashi frowned as he inched closer, wondering why Sakura was performing hand seals. "Kakashi-sensei and I arrived here around fifteen minutes ago you know," continued Naruto, still oblivious. Gathering all the required chakra, Sakura opened her mouth to speak. Kanashibari no Jutsu. The words sounded sad to the three who were there as Sasuke started to feel numb. "Sakura-chan, what are you doing!" exclaimed Naruto, bewilderment on his face. She didn't seem to hear him.

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun, but I need to do this," she spoke as she walked over towards him, applying pressure to his neck, causing him to fall into her arms. "You're far too stubborn for your own good," she murmured as she set him down on the ground, her hand already feeling around his ankle for any possible signs of either muscle damage. The Jounin looked somewhat worriedly over her shoulder as she continued to examine him for anything. Naruto remained confused and silent as he watched Sakura. "Well, it started as a sprain but you continued to irritate it," mumbled Sakura as she performed a Chiyute no Jutsu, her hand glowing as she kept it over the ankle area, immediately regenerating the area that had been damaged. The four remained where they were as Sakura continued to heal his sprained ankle. The Uchiha barely managed to open his lips, a solitary word escaping his lips, unheard by the other three.

_Sakura..._

**Tsuzuku...**

And I have finally finished chapter nine, after a week's delay. For that, I'm really sorry!

In my opinion, the way the training went out was a bit rushed. The training is mostly about working together and anticipating the traps set by enemy shinobi, mind you. The end, in my opinion, is sort of bland but I like it just the same.

By the way, thank you thank you thank you so much for your lovely reviews! I never would have expected to even reach **one hundred and thirty-nine (139)** reviews! For this, I'm going to do something I don't usually do, answering some reviews!

**Only Secret:** Yes, you happened to be lucky number 100:D

**Phoe-chan:** Your reviews are one of the reviews I look forward to getting, or hope to be getting! Thanks for all the encouragement. As an answer to you saying I go to a year-round school? Naw. I go to school from June - March, as that is the standard school year here in the Philippines.

**TriGemini:** Another reviewer I look forward to hearing from! The way your review is somewhat like a summary of the chapter I had just finished makes me feel good, knowing there's someone who reads my works thoroughly.

**cherri-chan:** It's you:D! Enough said.

**Kyo's Lover:** I'm glad you like this story! I'm afraid, however, it won't end up as a story wherein Sakura and Sasuke will admit to each other how they feel, at least, not yet. This story has only Sasuke/Sakura themes, as well as it's... sequel, quote unquote. However, keep a sharp lookout for anything that might happen. You just don't know.

And that's all! This chapter is dedicated to those who's reviews I made a comment about or answered.

Feel free to ask questions in your reviews and I'll try to take some time and answer some of them in the next update.

I hope you enjoyed this week's installment of Past Peripheral Vision!

Oh yes. I created a Livejournal Community called **springpaperfan** which is an archive of Sasuke/Sakura fanfics. Please join and add your own Sasuke/Sakura fanfics!

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Ten - Konoha Matsuri

**Chapter Preview:** "No! I said no!" he shouted angrily at the door, locking himself in the room. Her voice penetrated through the wooden frame, pleading with him to change his mind. "It's such a frivolous thing! Why should I spend time in some dumb festival when I could be training for the Jounin Exams?" he retaliated as he remained in a fighting stance, alert if in case she decided to just break down the door using her chakra. She very well could. He knew of her impulses with these things just because she had more than one chance in breaking down the door to find Naruto. He had been unwillingly dragged just so he could help her find the blonde boy and bring him towards the Godaime for whatever she needed him to do. Her answer to his question almost gave him a heart attack. "What did you say!" he shouted as he had been duped in opening the door, his face burning with fury. At his expression, she began to laugh.


	10. Konoha Matsuri

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Ten – Konoha Matsuri

Her green eyes looked around in relief, although she was still slightly unused to seeing all of the village. Today, it was the Konoha Matsuri. The festival was set in honor of the founding day of Konoha, brought about by the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokage. Though she didn't know the exact date, she could assume that it was around twenty years older than the Sandaime himself! Had he lived from the Sound's attack, he would be in his seventies or eighties. Cautiously, she walked over to a familiar blonde head. She was still wearing her ninja garb but her hitai-ate was serving its normal purpose for her, as a headband. On days like this, Tsunade said that everyone deserved a well-earned break. The festival was important to everyone in the village after all, ninja or civilian. When she was behind the blonde female, a soft girlish giggle escaped her lips as she covered the female's eyes.

"Shikamaru, if that's you, it's not very funny," muttered the blonde female as she tightened her grip on the piece of tissue she was holding. As if on cue, the aforementioned male came out of a stall, mumbling that he was inside the shop all the while. How could he be the one shielding her vision? Craning his neck, he looked behind the blonde to see who it was. The rosette haired female made signs for the lazy Nin to keep quiet, which he promptly followed. "Well, it isn't Chouji. Chouji's busy helping his family set up their stall," she said in a matter-of-factly tone, "And I would smell the scent of Asuma-sensei's cancer sticks if it were him! Besides, isn't he on a date with some Jounin?" She continued to talk as if everything was normal. Shikamaru nodded slowly, even though she couldn't see, as she continued to prattle out names. With a sigh, the green eyed female removed her hands, the blonde looking backwards to see who it was. "Forehead girl! It's you!" gasped the blonde excitedly, hugging the other Chuunin, "And I can see your eyes!"

"Yes, Ino-pig, it's me," said Sakura with a laugh as she returned the friendly embrace. Shikamaru nodded his acknowledgement as he shoved his hands further into his pockets. Shopping with Ino was too troublesome for him. What did she need him for if she was hunting around some of the set up stalls for the perfect hair ornament? Her hair was fine the way it always was! He didn't understand the vanities of a regular female, nor did he want to. "Tsunade-shishou let me remove it for today but tomorrow, it's back to being blindfolded," said the Medical Specialist, a sheepish grin on her face. Ino nodded, silently assuring the girl that everything was fine. "It's been a while, hasn't it," murmured Sakura as she let the wind caress her face, "Since I started my training two months ago, very few people have seen my eyes since then. I think most people even forgot that they were green!"

"Care to explain, Sakura?" asked Ino as she chained her arm around Sakura's own, leading the pink haired girl to wherever her feet would bring them. Shikamaru decided to leave the two alone, giving them time to catch up on things. The pink haired girl threw an apologetic look at the blonde, silently saying she wouldn't. "Why not?" pouted the blonde as she looked at Sakura suspiciously, "It doesn't have anything to do with Sasuke-kun, does it?" Sakura let out a forced negation. Ino accepted her answer, though clearly warily. Having renounced, so to speak, her feelings for the Uchiha, the blonde female finally took time to notice the other men around her. Surprisingly, she took special notice of the lazy genius they were with earlier. Ino, instead, however became the hawk-eyed best friend, ready to maul, maim, kill and destroy any male who wished to court her within a two-mile radius of Medical Specialist. "What's the bag for?" asked Ino, eyeing the suede carrying case strapped against Sakura's body.

"How have you and Shikamaru been holding up?" asked Sakura, expertly changing the topic, a skill almost every girl knew by heart. Sakura didn't want to talk about the bag strapped to her, a somewhat secret. Ino blanched at the topic and started babbling unintelligible words. A soft giggle escaped her lips as they continued walking slowly around the village. "Fine, I take it you don't want to talk about it, Ino," said Sakura good-naturedly, a simple grin on her face. Ino nodded vigorously, sending mental daggers towards the pink haired Chuunin. "It's been such a long time since I've last went to the Konoha Matsuri, to any festival for that matter! For some reason, I've always been out on a mission and arrived a day before or on the day of the festival, making me much too tired to enjoy any of the festivities," said Sakura ruefully, scratching the back of her head.

"But this year, you're here to enjoy it," said Ino firmly aws she squeezed her best friend's hand in encouragement. Sakura nodded with a grin. How she missed the days when she could just talk to Ino about absolutely anything. When she had broken off their friendship, as they were rivals for Sasuke's attention, nothing was ever the same. Even now, when they were no longer rivals for his love, she still couldn't talk to her about every single detail. She would probably try to maul, maim, kill and destroy Sasuke if she ever heard of him breaking Sakura's already fragile heart. Suddenly, the pink haired Chuunin stopped. "Sakura, what's wrong?" asked Ino, confused. At the back of Ino's mind, vague memories began pulsing strongly, the place so familiar but so distant at the same time. The pink haired Chuunin merely smiled and gave a wave of goodbye.

"It was nice talking to you for a while, Ino! Thanks for unconsciously accompanying me here," said Sakura as she turned away and crossed the small bridge. Ino kept her gaze at her best friend, still confused about what was going on. "I just didn't want to physically walk here all by myself. I'm still somewhat afraid of doing so," explained Sakura, a sheepish look on her face, "Funny how a sixteen year old girl is afraid of simply walking to a large house." The fragmented memories started piecing itself together like a puzzle in the blonde's mind. Ino asked her what kind of house this was, the memories still vague but offered bigger chunks of information to the blonde Chuunin. "You ought to know Ino. After all, how many times have you camped out near this place just to be the first one to see him, all those years ago," reminded Sakura as she turned around and began to half-run into the huge compound. Ino's cerulean eyes widened at the realization of where they were. They were near his house, his compound, his legacy.

Inside the Compoud

"No! I said no!" he shouted angrily at the door, locking himself in the room. Her voice penetrated through the wooden frame, pleading with him to change his mind. "It's such a frivolous thing! Why should I spend time in some dumb festival when I could be training for the Jounin Exams?" he retaliated as he remained in a fighting stance, alert if in case she decided to just break down the door using her chakra. She very well could. He knew of her impulses with these things just because she had more than one chance in breaking down the door to find Naruto. He had been unwillingly dragged just so he could help her find the blonde boy and bring him towards the Godaime for whatever she needed him to do. Her answer to his question almost gave him a heart attack. "What did you say!" he shouted as he had been duped in opening the door, his face burning with fury. At his expression, she began to laugh.

"I can't believe you fell for it!" she accused, her laughter beginning to settle down. His face was burning a furious red, more out of anger than embarrassment though hints of the latter remained on his face. Turning his face away, he crossed his arms and averted his gaze from her somewhat laughing and cheerful face. It took her about a couple of minutes to fully settle down, her face red from all the laughter. He, on the other hand, was just leaning against the door frame, waiting for her to settle down so she could speak clearly. "The great Uchiha Sasuke, terrified when I said the reason why he could be spending time in the Konoha Matsuri, to spend time with me, a simple kunoichi known as Haruno Sakura," she said with a slight giggle. Sasuke snorted at her statement.

"If that's all you have to say, Sakura, I'd appreciate it if you'd go elsewhere for the rest of the day," said Sasuke, his voice stinging and cold as he began making his way away from the pink haired Chuunin. Sakura remained insistent and followed him. "Why should I go to the festival? Really. Give me a valid reason this time," he muttered as he shoved his hands into the pocket of his shorts. He'd always have haunting and distant memories of festivals. The very last one he had been to was some time before his family had died at the hands of his brother. When he had looked up at his brother with a silly grin, he swore he could have seen a sad, distant and almost demonic smile light up the older Uchiha's features, absolutely no regret nor remorse on his face. "I'm sure you'd have more fun in the festival if you went with Kakashi, that dobe, your family or your friends," he said pointedly.

"Well, what's wrong with wanting to go with you?" asked Sakura as she clung onto his arm, more of an action to stop him from moving any further over anything else. The Uchiha sent a glare towards her. The female didn't flinch at that act. "You deserve to have some fun every once in a while," she said softly, her jade eyes darkening slightly. Sasuke felt an unwanted pang of guilt course through every vein in his body. He shouldn't be feeling guilty, especially for her! He wasn't supposed to feel anything for that matter anyway! "All work and no play makes Sasuke-kun a dull boy," she added as she began dragging him outside. He was putting his weight heavily on the floor, hoping to stop her from moving him any further. Sakura paid his act no mind. "I hope you have a yukata!" she said in enthusiasm as she dragged him to his room. The minute she was there, she had opened his closet and began looking around for a yukata.

Sasuke stared at her, annoyed, though somewhat touched by her display of affection. At least, he hoped the affection was just friendly. His internal beliefs were currently struggling with his feelings for her. He had become unnaturally observant as Sakura continued moving the clothes he had, a disgruntled pout on her face. Of course he had a yukata in there and it fit him. Every year, in the solitude of his home, he'd try on the yukata and the happi coat, making sure they fit. If they didn't, he'd fold the articles neatly and bring them to the storage room, searching around for a yukata and a happi coat that would fit him. Such was the mannerism of an Uchiha when it came to festivals. If he remembered correctly, the yukata inside the closet was a dark blue, waves printed in various dizzying blues on the bottom of the cloth. The obi there was black, thin lines of blue going around the cloth. The happi coat was black and at the back, the prominent Uchiha symbol was printed. The female let out a satisfied smile as she pulled out the articles she was thinking off.

"Uchiha Sasuke-kun, you're going to the Konoha Matsuri whether you like it or not!" she said with a triumphant look. In her hand was a hanger, the yukata hanging neatly on the plastic. Inside, the obi was hanging on the plastic rod that connected one end of the hanger to the other. The happi coat was hanging on top of the yukata, like a jacket. Sasuke's face darkened considerably at her words with him trying to weasel his way out of actually having to go. "Come on, it'll be fun! Don't you want to spend even just a single day like a civilian here in Konoha?" asked Sakura as she continued standing in front of him. He shook his head at her query. Another pout found its way towards Sakura's face as she crept closer to him, her face, most especially her lips, dangerously close to his own. The Uchiha managed to suppress a blush from spreading over his cheeks.

"I really don't want to go, Sakura," he muttered as he fell on his back, landing on his bed. It was the only option he could go for to avoid any more brushing of lips with the girl in front of him. It had happened a couple of times and he didn't want to remember them. Sakura's pout deepened as she continued pestering him about going. Images of his family when they used to go out in festivals started flashing in his mind, the feelings pulsing strongly in his blood. Her words fell to deaf ears as he continued remembering everything that happened. He'd ask his mother for some money to buy candy. He'd stare at the pond of goldfish with utmost intensity to try and catch one, only to break the flimsy net he was using. He was absolutely sure he could do it with ease now but he hadn't bothered to try. The more enjoyable memories started surfacing. Family dinners, Itachi actually being a brother and carrying Sasuke on piggy back when the younger was fast asleep, his parents throwing fond smiles at the way of the siblings. "Fine..." he muttered in defeat as he sat up straight, "I'll go just to stop you from pestering me even more." The true reason was different, extremely, however.

"Hooray!" squeeled Sakura as she hugged him, kissing him and forgetting the fact that she had vowed to release her feelings towards him. The Uchiha was stunned, though unconsciously wrapping his arms around her smaller frame. The minute Sakura had initiated that contact, all sources of self-control were blocked. His mind was reeling in sheer lust as he managed to lift her top up slightly, his calloused fingers caressing the bare skin of her back. A moan escaped her lips when they parted slightly for air, their minds shouting at the way their bodies were acting and reacting. Their bodies refused to listen, shutting out all rational thought. Her hands snaked around him, pulling her closer towards him as his hands began to rise, exploring the bare skin of her back. His fingers arrived at a strap of cloth, binding her chest as he felt around for the latch. Suddenly, her eyes widened in realization at what they were doing. "Sasuke-kun!" she managed to say urgently before succumbing to her want. He had realized it too, the minute his fingers felt the switch that when pressed, there would be no coming back.

"S-sorry," he muttered lamely as he averted his gaze from the burning red face of Sakura. The female Chuunin stammered that it was alright, smoothing her top down. "Maybe, you'd like to go home and prepare your clothes?" he offered as he stood up, still unable to look at the Chuunin in the eye. Sakura let out a shaky laugh as she said it was alright, saying she had prepared her things already in the bag that she brought. Looking up at her, he expressed his confusion. The Chuunin tucked a stray strand of her pink hair as she pointed to the bag that lay near his closet. "Aa," he said, announcing that he had understood already. He didn't notice the bag she was carrying earlier. "Have you had breakfast yet?" he asked dumbly, trying to make the atmosphere between them normal again. Sakura shook her head, her stomach rumbling slightly, emphasizing her hunger. Her face reddened in embarrassment. "I hope you don't mind onigiri with salted tomatoes," he said as he began to make his way to the kitchen. Her jade eyes widened when she heard him offering her some breakfast.

During the Festival

The many girls who still had shallow proclamations of undying love for the sole Uchiha glared at Sakura, irritated at the fact that she was spotted with probably the most wanted bachelor in the entire village. He even made a few married women swoon and forget that they were already committed! A disgruntled look remained on his face but it didn't affect the pink haired girl in front of him. In fact, it wasn't as disgruntled as it was meant to be as he remained transfixed on the female Chuunin. Her yukata was a stark contrast compared to his, plum colored. Printed around the lower half of the yukata was a flowering branch of a cherry blossom tree, her namesake. A few stray flowers were printed on either side of her sleeves. A pale pink obi was wrapped around her waist, a thin burgundy cord on top.

"Look, Sasuke-kun, it's the goldfish!" she gushed out, instinctively clinging onto his arm. For once, he didn't mind. Looking over to the direction she was pointing at, Sasuke's onyx eyes looked at the number of children trying to catch a goldfish with the flimsy net. He silently motioned for her to follow him as he made his way towards the stall. Pulling out some money, he paid for a net and knelt down. Everyone nearby was staring. They probably would never have imagined the stoic Uchiha Sasuke to be lining up to try and catch a fish. They probably never would have imagined he was in the festival in the first place! A warm smile found its way to Sakura's face as she watched him, a childlike concentration on his face. Quick as a flash, his hand darted out. On top of the flimsy net, a goldfish lay squirming, trying to jump back into the water.

Sakura greeted warmly, extending her congratulations, as he walked back to her, a plastic bag filled with water and the goldfish that he had caught clutched in his hand. Luckily for Sasuke, unluckily for the female on the other hand, they didn't see very many people that they knew. An occasional Chuunin or Jounin who worked at the Hokage Tower saw them, greeting the Medical Specialist warmly, a couple even calling her 'Sakura-sama'. That caused Sasuke to raise his eyebrow in confusion and the pink haired girl to blush heavily. Otherwise, they had met no one they really knew. As they passed by a food stall, Sakura scrunched up her nose, a nauseating smell reaching her senses. "Anything wrong?" asked Sasuke uncharacteristically. In truth, he had done so many things uncharacteristically today that asking the female how she felt was no longer such a big of a deal.

"I'm fine," said Sakura, waving off Sasuke's slight concern for her, "I just smell something nauseating." It was a good thing the shopkeepers couldn't hear her, the noise coming from the small crowd drowning out her voice. Looking towards the shops, she smiled a sad smile. "I just hope the food is okay, I mean, if the ingredients are rotten, we're going to have ourselves an epidemic of food poisoning tomorrow. By the smell of it, the food has rotted that much," explained Sakura, raking her fingers through her rose colored tresses. The Uchiha nodded, understanding the consequences if there was going to be a food poisoning epidemic. Most ninjas would be put into the hospital. The entire village would be thrown into chaos. The Medical Specialists, more especially the elite ones, would have their hands full. It was something like an internal war. "But maybe I'm just hallucinating," said Sakura optimistcally as she began walking away. Sasuke nodded slowly. "At least I hope I am," she added.

Hours passed by and even if the Uchiha hated to admit it, he had fun. In fact, if he weren't how he normally was, then he would have seized the pink haired girl in a hug and thanked her for the chance of having fun during the Konoha Matsuri. However, if he did that, he assumed Sakura would probably try to beat him up and shout in his ear 'Who the hell are you and where is Uchiha Sasuke-kun!' He shuddered at the thought. He was, however, content at the fact that Sakura wasn't being annoying nor was she being nosy. Looking at the female, he shifted his weight from one foot to another. His mannerism required him to make sure she arrived at her house safely.

"So, I'll be seeing you tomorrow?" asked Sasuke, somewhat uncomfortable at the situation he was in. Sakura replied that she may or mayn't see him as she was going back to her training schedule. "Hn," he mumbled and said no more. With a wave, he began walking his way back to his house. Sakura said goodbye as she remained standing near the door, watching as the Uchiha began making his way back to his home, the fan on his back even prominent in the darkness. The minute he took a left, Sasuke frowned at the way Sakura was acting. She had been unusually quieter after they had walked past the food stalls, worry constantly etched on her features. However, the Chuunin made up her mind to not let it bother her and to enjoy the rest of the festival. For once, he had the urge to hug her and tell her everything was alright but because he was who he was, he didn't. He had to be content enough to just speak her name without her hearing it. "Sakura, what's wrong with you," he murmured into the night, the wheels of his mind still turning constantly.

**Tsuzuku...**

I know. You might accuse me of Sasuke being OOC in this chapter, at least I think he is, but please bear with the fact that this was in a festival. So, I hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me.

Anyway, like last chapter, it's time for me to answer some reviews!

**Only Secret: **Yes, yes she does. It's just in certain occasions she doesn't. In chapter nine she did, except when she performed the Kanashibari no Jutsu. That particular Jutsu requires one to be able to see, as the chakra is emitted from the eyes, a Dou Jutsu. Orochimaru did that to Sasuke when they were in the Forest of Death for their Chuunin Exams. I'll be sure to mention it when she removes her hitai-ate.

**fallendreamer:** This fanfic is called Past Peripheral Vision because Sakura is trying to see beyond what her eyes can see. Peripheral vision is anything your eyes see. Trying to see past that? Well, obviously past peripheral vison.

**PrincessChii:** Thank you for saying the chapter didn't go rushed! I tend to belittle myself many times about how my chapters turn out. There are very few times I am particularly pleased with a chapter.

**Phoe-chan:** No worries! You can always join the LJ community and just post every now and then. You don't need to post every single day. I don't for that matter XD And yes, normally, for Filipinos, with their really close friends, we often tend to forget that when we slip into our own language, we forget that they can't understand us.

**Far-Fetched-Imagineer:** Yes, I'm a true-blooded pinoy all the way! Thank you for your compliments. Compliments always help me work faster!

And that's my take on the reviews for chapter nine! Keep 'em coming -hinthint-!

I created a Livejournal Community called **springpaperfan** which is an archive of Sasuke/Sakura fanfics. Please join and add your own Sasuke/Sakura fanfics!

Hope you enjoyed this week's installment. Stay tuned for next week's installment!

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Eleven - Her Strength

**Chapter Preview:** Sakura's heart pounded violently against her ribcage as she raced through the streets of Konoha, on her way to the hospital. The sun had yet to rise and already everyone was awake, adrenalin pumping her to move faster. Her vision blurred slightly as she was still somewhat tired, the objects in front of her sometimes merging into each other then separating. She could feel her legs getting heavier and heavier with each step, her breathing becoming short and ragged. She couldn't think straight. She was far too worried to do so. Her feelings the night before were right! She should have done something about it but didn't, opting to just enjoy the remainder of the festival with him. Bumping into something, someone to be more exact, she felt her knees buckle and gravity pull her down. Expecting to meet the cold and wet pavement, the rain still falling gently, she felt herself pulled up. Opening her eyes, her cheeks reddened. "Sasuke-kun," she murmured, her breath visible in the cold air.


	11. Her Strength

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Eleven – Her Strength

It was uncharacteristically noisy at the hospital, the people gathered there pushing and shoving against each other to see a doctor. The festival had just finished hours ago and now, they were all sick to the core. It hadn't happened in any of the past festivals, so why was it happening now? The few doctors and nurses who were still awake look worriedly at each other. A few Medical Specialists had been deployed by the Godaime and more were on their way. Everything was in chaos. Everyone wanted to vomit. Everyone was feeling week. Occasionally, a voice thundered from the crowd, telling them to move aside. The authority a Medical Specialist had was astounding, especially in the midst of what the doctors had declared an epidemic. It made the medical staff worry. Why, after such an enjoyable festival, was there an epidemic in Konoha? Hopefully, it wasn't a scheme at starting a biological war against the Nin of the Leaf.

The phone lines were busy, mostly being used by the few non-medical staff in the hospital to call the houses of doctors and the few precious Medical Specialists that they had. Some ninjas, out of the kindness of their hearts, had offered to round up the other capable Medical Specialists the hospital staff didn't have the number of, as well as the Godaime herself. Anyone willing enough to wake up the Godaime could be considered a hero, her wrath terrible when she was woken up without any good reason. The familiar pink haired Chuunin, surprisingly, was not in the phonebooks of the hospital, opting to send a message through one of the Chuunin who had made her acquaintance. The medical staff members were anxiously biting down on their lower lips for reinforcements which were really needed at the moment.

In her room, she was sleeping lightly, not yet completely asleep. Sakura managed to sleep lightly, if she could help it or she was really worried. At the moment, she couldn't get her mind off the stench she remembered in the festival. Flipping over from her right side to her left and back, Sakura tried to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in. She was mentally counting sheep as she unconsciously clenched and unclenched her hands, small crescent-shaped marks visible where her nails had dug. A long and continuous knocking sound reverberated in the room, sending waves of panic through the pink haired girl's system. Standing, she made her way towards the door, her hand trembling. As her bare feet padded softly against the wooden panels of the floor, the panic level in her system rose with every step. Opening the door, wary at what she might expect.

"Sakura-sama!" said a Chuunin breathlessly, her ragged dark violet locks landing on her face as she clung desperately to the door for balance. The pink haired female waited for some sort of identification from the one who had called upon her this late. She had wrapped her hitai-ate around her face once more. "It's me, Kazuya Ran, the disciple of Shizune-sensei," she explained, her voice strained. Sakura nodded once more, recognizing the female. "There's been an epidemic," said Ran, her movements jittery as she hastened to explain the situation. Sakura's heart started pounding once more. She knew it! "The hospital needs you and for some reason, your number wasn't in the phonebooks of the hospital so they sent me to inform you," she explained, biting down on her lower lip afterwards, "And it's getting really crowded. Sakura-sama, we need you to be there to ease the load!"

"Epidemic?" asked Sakura wearily, images of unrivalled clarity from the night before, when she and the Uchiha prodigy walked past the food stalls, burning brightly in her mind. Ran nodded with the same jittery movements, biting down on her lower lip even harder, almost threatening it to bleed. "What kind?" She was almost afraid to ask. When the words 'food' and 'poisoning' escaped Ran's lips, Sakura almost fainted with guilt. "Okay, Ran, please go back to the hospital now," she said sincerely, taking control of her senses before she did anything irrational. The other Chuunin looked at her, clearly confused. "I'll just change into my clothes and go ahead. I'm sure there are people who have already roused Tsunade-shishou from her sleep to go to the hospital," explained Sakura hastily as she led the Chuunin outside the house, "I'll be there in at most thirty minutes." Ran squeaked a reply before running off.

Sakura thought about how Ran had been able to get into the house without any screams of protest from her parents. They probably let her in, her mind occupied with other thoughts so she was highly likely unable to hear Ran's insistent knocking from the door that sealed the house from the outside world. As she picked up her clothes, Sakura had rushed in the bathroom and locked the door shut. Pulling her tank top over her head, she bound her chest with a sports bra and began changing into her ninja garb. Her shoes would wait later, as they were outside. In the silence of her room, she could hear her heart pound loudly, the only thing that went against the silence of the house. Her knees were weak at the news of an epidemic. Why now, after such an enjoyable festival, celebrating the founding day of their beloved home?

On the Way to the Hospital

Sakura's heart pounded violently against her ribcage as she raced through the streets of Konoha, on her way to the hospital. The sun had yet to rise and already everyone was awake, adrenalin pumping her to move faster. Her vision blurred slightly as she was still somewhat tired, the objects in front of her sometimes merging into each other then separating. She could feel her legs getting heavier and heavier with each step, her breathing becoming short and ragged. She couldn't think straight. She was far too worried to do so. Her feelings the night before were right! She should have done something about it but didn't, opting to just enjoy the remainder of the festival with him. Bumping into something, someone to be more exact, she felt her knees buckle and gravity pull her down. Expecting to meet the cold and wet pavement, the rain still falling gently, she felt herself pulled up. Opening her eyes, her cheeks reddened. "Sasuke-kun," she murmured, her breath visible in the cold air.

"What are you doing out here so early in the morning?" he asked, his voice dulled by the frost of the early morning air. Sakura hastily explained that she had some business to attend to. "Business," he repeated firmly, blocking her path effectively. He was going to pry it out of her. After all, he had become the second best interrogator in the entire village, second only to Morino Ibiki, the Jounin who wouldn't betray the village secrets to spare his life. He had sported more than a lifetime's worth of scars to prove his iron will. "What kind of business, if I may ask?" he added, though it was more of a command than a request for him to know. Sakura had gotten sick before because of overexertion in training. Kakashi had given them a silent order to make sure she wouldn't do that again. It would worry him to no end.

"There's a food poisoning epidemic, Sasuke-kun! What do you want me to do, stay at home while the villagers, both shinobi and civilian alike, suffer at the hands of this medical tragedy?" she muttered bitterly looking away at him. The Uchiha prodigy was taken aback at the tone of her voice, never expecting it from her. He managed, however, to keep his normal poker face as she said that. "Now will you please let me go?" she asked urgently, her jade eyes filled with worry for the people that were continuously gathering at the hospital, "I need to help them!" Without any sign of protest, Sasuke stepped to the side, letting the pink haired Medical Specialist pass. Without any farewell, the pink haired girl fled, dashing off towards the hospital, not even bothering to look back at the Uchiha prodigy she had so adored.

"When did you change, Sakura?" mumbled Sasuke to himself as his sharp onyx eyes watched as her figure grew smaller and smaller into the distance. Broken images of his childhood burned in his mind as they began to shift from one to another, as if a movie. Then, it reached the point when he had found out he was a Genin along with Sakura and Naruto. The Chuunin Exam came next, a feeling of superiority surging through his veins. He had at least made it to all three parts. She didn't. The last night in Konoha made him feel particularly bitter, seeing her tears, her fragility and her hopes to get him to stay or at least take her with him. The time when they had brought him back to Konoha wasn't as painful as that. His second try at the Chuunin Exams was far too easy for him. The recent events had been but a blur to him. In all those moments, it seems that he had just closed his eyes for a second and the next thing he knew it, the Sakura he used to know was gone, replaced by this far stronger Sakura he had to accept.

At the Hospital

"Sakura-sama!" said one of the nurses breathlessly, not even giving the pink haired Chuunin some time to take a deep breath. "Thank heavens you're here!" she said in relief as she began pushing Sakura towards one of the more crowded rooms. The minute the pink haired Chuunin arrived, both civilians and shinobi alike had begun to settle down, a wave of relief flooding over everyone. They were all in good and capable hands now that one of the very few direct Medical Specialists under the Godaime herself. To be exact, she was only one of two. "Here's a clipboard on what the doctors have found out so far," explained the nurse as she handed the pink haired girl the aforementioned item. "We've prepared your usual room, room 323," informed the nurse as she led Sakura to the stairs, "Thank you for coming here, Sakura-sama."

"It's no problem. I'm glad to be of help. I can begin seeing patients in five minutes," instructed Sakura before feeling about for the hand rails and running up the flight of stairs to her usual room. She'd remove the hitai-ate later, when she was already in her room. Her heart pounded as she made it inside. Pulling off her hitai-ate, she set it on a nearby table and began to read what was printed on it. Her face began to grow livid at the medical report. It was a food poisoning epidemic. Everyone was showing similar symptoms to each other and when the patient was asked what they had eaten during the festival, all of them had a common food item of seafood okonomiyaki. "I knew it," she murmured softly to herself as she fell to the floor, her jade eyes distant with shock. A persistent knocking sound snapped her out of her self-pity. "Come in," said Sakura firmly, standing up straight. Her eyes widened at who she saw. "Sasuke-kun, what are you doing here!"

"I thought you might need some help here. You looked absolutely insane with worry and grief when we bumped into each other earlier this morning," explained Sasuke, shoving his hands deeper within his pockets. This was not the first time he was thankful for having a shirt with a wide collar. It had served its purpose well, hiding his slightly reddening cheeks from his former teammate. A smile of relief and gratitude found its way to Sakura's face when she heard him say that. "So, what do I do?" he asked, trying to break the awkward air around them. The Medical Specialist told him that all he really had to do was hand her the equipment that she needed and to wear a pair of latex gloves, to keep things clean. "Aa," he murmured as he went over to wear the gloves were located. Their shoulders brushed slightly as they passed each other, in order to get ready. Suddenly, the door opened, causing both Chuunin to look towards the direction of the creaking sound.

"Sakura-sensei," said a little girl, of no more than six or seven years old, in a quiet tone. The Chuunin let out a warm smile grace her lips as she beckoned for the little girl to go towards her. "Sakura-sensei, I feel sick," murmured the little girl as she clung onto the pink haired girl, like a little sister. Sakura whispered soothing words as she picked up the little girl, affectionately calling her 'Suki-chan' and setting her down on a metal table to sit. The girl's mother had entered the room quietly, nervous. The adult had eyed the Uchiha prodigy who merely nodded her way, as a sign of acknowledgement to her presence. "Sakura-sensei, will I be alright? I feel sick and Okaa-chan has been worried about me," asked Suki quietly, a look of both nervousness and shyness visible on her face.

"You'll be alright, Suki-chan, I promise you that," said Sakura as she patted the little girl's head, strands of Suki's brown hair peeking out between the teenager's long, slender fingers. The check-up went smoothly, Suki following everything that Sakura had instructed her to do. Suki's mother began talking about how Sakura was really the only medically trained person in all of Konoha that Suki was willing to see. Suki had a fear of going to the doctor's and Sakura was the only one to ever slowly cure that. The pink haired Chuunin blushed at what the adult was saying as she instructed Suki to lay down. Gathering chakra in her hands, Sakura began extracting the poison that was inside the little girl's body, placing the dangerous substance in a flask when she had finished.

Sasuke watched Sakura work hard with every patient that came in and out the door of her somewhat office. Each one who came in looked absolutely horrible, in pain because of the toxic substance that was within them. After the Chuunin had extracted the poison and had given them some antidote, each of a varying dosage. As each patient came in and out, Sakura seemed to forget Sasuke was even there. All her attention was focused on her patients, a warm, pleasant attitude radiating from her as she tried to calm them. With this, Sasuke had become fairly impressed as he lazily handed to her the things she needed. This was what she had been learning during the almost three years of his absence in Konoha.

It was probably almost noon when there were hardly any patients left in the hospital. The Godaime had arrived almost an hour after Sakura did, greatly easing the strain that was on the rest of the already exhausted staff. The pink haired Chuunin was currently slumped on a chair, tired. There were around five or six completely filled flasks of the poison that was within the system of so many people. Those who had been treated by the doctors were sent to the Medical Specialists for the extraction of the poison then sent back to a real doctor for any final check-ups that the shinobi medical staff had missed. A sleepy and tired look graced the face of his former teammate, with her having hardly any sleep, if at all.

"I had a feeling this would happen," commented Sakura softly, stretching her lithe limbs. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, silently prodding her to explain further. "Remember that stench last night?" she asked as she looked up at him. He could swear he could see tears welling in her eyes! With a slow nod, she continued. "I had a suspicion that it was from the food, yet, I did nothing to stop it," continued Sakura as the tears began to fall from her face, "I'm such a worthless Medical Specialist. I could have done something, but I didn't." Her body began to shiver with everything in her mind as the tears began to fall faster. Then, Sasuke did something he never would have for any person in the world, even if his life depended on it. He seized Sakura in a strong embrace and steadied her.

"No, no you're not worthless," he murmured as he buried his face into her hair. Sakura managed to grab onto him tighter as the tears continued to spill. "Don't you remember what the mother of Suki told you?" he whispered as he continued holding onto her. Sakura barely managed to shake her head, a strong feeling of guilt washing over her senses. "You were the only one who Suki was willing to see," began Sasuke as he remained stationary, "If you weren't a Medical Specialist, tell me, what would have happened to Suki if this scenario continued? She would be afraid of seeing a doctor. She would have fought everyone off even if she was suffering inside. Yet, because you were a Medical Specialist, she had gone to seek you for help." Sakura's sobbing had begun to subside, still holding onto Sasuke for support. "Now tell me, are you still worthless?" Sakura shook her head, encircling her arms around Sasuke in a friendly embrace. _Damn I'm not acting like myself. I'm supposed to be cold and indifferent! But what's with her that makes me act this way!_

Outside, a golden blonde woman was peering through the window, an amused look lingering in her tan brown eyes. A smile graced her lips as she watched the stoic Sasuke hold the fragile Sakura in his hold, careful to make sure he wouldn't crush her. A cherry blossom, after all, died so easily but with the gentlest of care and concern, it would live, radiating beauty from its pale colored petals. Turning around she began walking away from the room, a somewhat sad smile on her face. _Sasuke's far too stubborn to admit to his feelings. When this is over, he'll act like nothing had happened at all. Sakura is still drowning in her feelings for him, even if she keeps saying she sees him as a friend and no more. When will either of them realize that they belong to each other? When will Sasuke realize that revenge is not all that? When will Sakura realize that seeing beyond what eyes can see isn't always ignoring the painfully obvious?_ "Shizune, do I have work to do in the office?" A dutiful 'hai' came from behind. "Tomorrow, I'll do them tomorrow. I'm much too drained from my work today." Another 'hai' resounded.

**Tsuzuku…**

And well what do you know, I'm actually finished writing down chapter eleven! I hope you didn't mind waiting until Sunday to get your PPV fix for the week.

And okay, I hoped I cleared everything with this chapter. No, Sakura wasn't sick/pregnant/etc. What she smelled was the stench of the food from the food stalls, hence causing this epidemic of food poisoning.

Here I go with answering your reviews once more!

**animEvivvErz:** It's fine. At least you're still reading PPV!

**Sagitarious Devil:** Thank you for your compliment! Although I have to disagree about this being the "best" Sasuke/Sakura fanfic out there. There are many fanfics that I consider better than the ones I write.

**Phoe-chan:** I was actually considering the apple-bobbing thing but that would have made the chapter far too long. Maybe, if I write a festival-themed one-shot, I'll write that down.

**TriGemini:** Yeah, unlike in CotHaS, Ino and Sakura are on good terms in PPV. PPV follows the animanga timeline, after all.

And that's it for this weekend!

I have a new fanfic idea, by the way. It spins off from the animanga, just like PPV and I've got everything basically set up but I haven't gotten down to writing the first chapter. Here's the summary and the story's title:

**_Title:_** For Convenience's Sake

_**Summary: **Thrust into the world of marriage, family and commitment, they begin to get to know each other further only now. This is a marriage of convenience, more than love, because neither of them thought of becoming parents this early. Sasuke/Sakura._

Remember to join **springpaperfan**, a Livejournal community, if you have the time!

Stay tuned for next week's installment!

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Twelve – The Visit of a Daimyo

**Chapter Preview:** "It would be an honor to have you as my guide here in Konohagakure, Sakura-san," said the Daimyo smoothly, his hazel colored hair landing softly on his boyish face. A slight blush found its way to Sakura's face as she stammered her reply. Behind him, Sasuke was burning with rage. How dare he talk to his teammate in that manner! It's not like he was supposed to care at all but for some reason, he found himself doing so very much. "If I may take my leave from you now, honorable Godaime, I would like to look around the village already," said the young Daimyo with a flourish. Tsunade nodded and smiled, addressing him formally. "It's alright, you can call me Kouji," corrected the Daimyo as a charming smile found its way to his face, "I can hardly merit that much respect from the strongest shinobi in our land. I was just newly installed, after all."


	12. The Visit of a Daimyo

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Twelve – The Visit of a Daimyo

The village was busy with animated chatter as citizens, mostly women, were busy going in and out of their households either holding things they were about to dust or throw away or decoration to hang outside of their houses. The village had never looked cleaner than it was ages ago. Of course, they were all doing this for a reason. The day before, the Godaime had announced that a daimyo would be visiting Konoha, their talks about this spanning up to five months, coincidentally the same length of time the pink haired Chuunin had started her training. Everyone was grateful towards her for her help during the time of the food poisoning epidemic. And since then, almost everyone in the village had taken to doing little favors for her.

To her annoyance, flattery and downright irritation, there were even the occasional few males, most of which were around her age, a little older or in their early twenties at the oldest, who had taken up the hobby of stalking her. Everywhere she looked, she had caught sight of no less than twenty different men hiding behind different things. Even her Jounin instructor, Aya, had been getting irritated and the two of them had to suppress all urges to scream bloody murder and just mutilate, mangle and maim all of their bodies. Surprisingly, even with their wraths combined, there was still one other who was even more annoyed than them both. And he had resigned to the duty of simply training, as he had been only sent out on a brief three-day mission just two days after the food poisoning epidemic. And Sakura would have fainted on the spot if she found out what he was doing.

The Godaime had been getting reports that there were men in the village who were suffering shock or spasms of sheer terror. Although no physical harm had been done, the Godaime herself inspecting the victims who had looked perfectly healthy, she had assumed that all this abuse was mental, all mental. She had managed to extract limited information about what they were up to, some time before the mental scarring, and there was one thing in common. They were all muttering 'Medical Specialist', 'Chuunin', and 'Training'. Of course every Medical Specialist, be it Chuunin or not, was undergoing training but the simple dazed look in their eyes were familiar to her. It was his doing and she knew it. But, she couldn't press charges against him or anything. He wasn't doing anything against the laws of Konoha. He was just being too overprotective when he had firmly declared that he held no such feelings towards her. But, everyone knew better, except the two of them.

This morning, the two of them were in her office. She had seated herself on a chair, drumming her fingers idly on the armrest, as she waited what the Godaime was about to tell her. He was standing, his back against the wall, and his eyes looking up at the white, slightly dusty ceiling. The vein in her temple was pulsating horribly, unsure of how he would take the news, considering the recent behavioral habits he had taken up. She, on the other hand, would probably be honored at this opportunity and act properly. She, not being the male's instructor and knowing very little about him personally, did not know how he would react. He was initially on the list for this particular job, being one of the most gifted Chuunin, if not the most gifted, but because of his unstable emotional behaviors, she had been paired off along with him. Making a coughing sound, she attracted their attention.

"As you both know, Sakura, Sasuke, a newly installed Daimyo is coming to visit us. In fact, as we speak, Shizune and Kakashi are waiting for his arrival and will escort him to this office the minute he arrives," began Tsunade, her face devoid of all emotions except seriousness. The two named Chuunin nodded, the male opening his mouth and asking why them afterwards. "Why you indeed," she repeated absentmindedly, "Well, as much as I would have preferred, we have a rather… eccentric group of Jounin and I don't want to scar the poor man this early between the relationship of Konohagakure and the land he is in charge of as Daimyo." The pair nodded. It was true. Who would have thought that a pervert Sennin, a perverted Copy Ninja, an extremely immature Jounin, a cancer-stick loving Jounin and all the rest of them were part of Konoha's elite force? "Thus we selected two Chuunin and you both happened to be the most qualified," she finished.

"And you're sure there's no other reason beyond that?" asked Sasuke, narrowing his eyes. The Godaime coughed slightly as she averted her gaze from the sole Uchiha left in Konoha. Well, there was that too. What she had seen in the hospital a month back was still deeply imprinted in her mind. In fact, deep in her heart, she knew Sakura would never forget her feelings for him, even now that it was five months after she had begun her training. In Tsunade's mind, the training was more to help her focus her mind on what was realistic and what was not. Catching his eye was certainly realistic, but that would take mountains of effort. "Sure," he replied almost blandly, "Any specific measures or conditions you would like to tell us now?" Just as Tsunade was about to speak, the door swung open and in came two Jounin and a man Sasuke assumed was the Daimyo.

"Ah, Kouji-sama," said Tsunade as she rose from her seat, signaling for Sakura and Sasuke to do the same. The young man behind a somewhat irritable Kakashi and a lightly blushing Shizune smiled widely, bowing formally. "Come now, there's no need for that," Tsunade said as she motioned for him to stand up straight. Again, the Daimyo smiled widely as he stood up straight, a cool, impassive expression taking over his visage once the smile dissipated. "Kouji-sama, these are your two escorts here in Konoha, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke," introduced Tsunade, pointing to the Chuunin as their name was mentioned. Sakura smiled slightly as she bowed slightly in acknowledgement of his power and presence. Sasuke merely nodded, a cool look on his face, matching the same one that the Daimyo had. Tsunade masked her irritation with a smile. Sasuke was never one to really respect those with power and authority. "They will be your guides here in Konoha as well," added Tsunade, to take her mind off Sasuke's attitude.

"It would be an honor to have you as my guide here in Konohagakure, Sakura-san," said the Daimyo smoothly, his hazel colored hair landing softly on his boyish face. A slight blush found its way to Sakura's face as she stammered her reply. Behind him, Sasuke was burning with rage. How dare he talk to his teammate in that manner! It's not like he was supposed to care at all but for some reason, he found himself doing so very much. "If I may take my leave from you now, honorable Godaime, I would like to look around the village already," said the young Daimyo with a flourish. Tsunade nodded and smiled, addressing him formally. "It's alright, you can call me Kouji," corrected the Daimyo as a charming smile found its way to his face, "I can hardly merit that much respect from the strongest shinobi in our land. I was just newly installed, after all."

"Would you like us to bring you to where you will stay?" asked Sasuke through gritted teeth, his hands clenched into fists. Kakashi had idly noticed that fact and was filled to the brim with mirth and amusement, though had purposely stopped himself from showing any signs of it. Kouji had looked over towards Sasuke, hardly noticing his presence and threw him a questioning look. "I'm supposing your travel to Konoha has been tiring," explained Sasuke, trying his hardest to suppress the rage he had immediately felt towards the flashy Daimyo. Realization dawned upon the Daimyo as his face lit up slightly. A nod expressed that he would like to go where he would be able to rest, for even a few moments. "Very well, I will be waiting outside," muttered Sasuke as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Not even bothering to look over his shoulder, Sasuke spoke once more. "You coming, Sakura?" The pink haired Chuunin nodded wordlessly, tailing after her partner for this somewhat mission.

"I'm sorry, he is always like that," said Tsunade with an apologetic tone in her voice. Kouji merely shrugged it off with another smile adorning his face. "Well, I do hope you enjoy your stay here in Konoha. I'm sorry to be unable to personally tour you around here in Konoha, as I have many matters to attend to, but I'm sure being toured around by two of our more… illustrious ninja would suffice," said Tsunade as she scratched the back of her head. Again, Kouji nodded. A somewhat irritated thought passed through Tsunade's head as she kept the smile on her face. _Does this man do anything more than smiling and nodding? Sheesh!_ "Tonight, however, there will be a dinner in your honor. Sakura and Sasuke have already been instructed to bring you back here by six in the evening," informed Tsunade as she stretched out her hand. Kouji took it and when they let go, he turned around and left the room.

Outside of the Hokage Tower

"And that's how I came to be the Daimyo of my land," said Kouji dramatically, earning another glare from the somewhat brooding Uchiha, "Although by what I've seen and what I know of the ninja here and in the other countries, if I weren't born into my family, I would have preferred to be born into a family in one of the Hidden Villages! I'm sure that each and every single mission proves very exciting and challenging for all of you." A bitter laugh escaped the lips of Sasuke as they continued walking. A reprimanding look was thrown towards his direction by his former teammate which was equally matched by a withering glare. "You, Sakura-san, you've told me so far that your family members are merely civilian. Why did you become a ninja?" asked Kouji, blissfully unaware of Sasuke's increasing disdain for the Daimyo.

"I don't know really," replied Sakura almost too casually for the Uchiha's tastes. Kouji was soaking up everything she was saying like a sponge would water. "At the beginning, it was mostly because it intrigued me, then I drifted off to shallower reasons," she continued, looking sideways at Sasuke. He understood what she meant by shallower reasons. "Then, this incident happened," she added without missing a beat, "Which caused me to have a nervous breakdown. When I had recovered my senses, I had undergone training under Tsunade-shishou, took the Chuunin exam, passed, and am now currently preparing for next year's Jounin exams." A low, impressed whistle escaped Kouji's lips as they continued walking around. A few passersby stopped when they had seen Kouji, chattering excitedly amongst themselves. "Such a celebrity already and you've only been here for roughly an hour," she said with an amused tone.

The day continued with very few exchanges between the Daimyo and the Uchiha, the conversations centering more between Kouji and Sakura. Sasuke had only spoken his usual 'Aa' or his gruff insults, but that was to be expected to begin with. Sasuke was never a social person. They had met a few familiar faces, one of them being the shy Hinata. Kouji had heard of her family, his own father owing a debt of gratitude to Hinata's, though he himself had never personally met a Hyuuga. What he found intimidating was the cool, impassive glare from the Hyuuga Jounin, Neji, who had taken upon himself to play the role of the overprotective 'brother'. They had also passed by the Yamanaka flower shop, the Daimyo hoping to get some locally grown flora to give to his younger sister. Ino had been manning the cashier and had been very amiable with the two Chuunin assigned to escort Kouji. Rumor had it Ino had a crush on the visiting Daimyo.

"That's very sweet of you, Kouji-sama," said Sakura as she admired the bouquet that Ino was currently wrapping. The Daimyo gave a muffled laugh and a light blush stained his cheeks. A snort came from Sasuke as he turned around and pretended to look at the different flowers. However, Sakura knew better. Sasuke was never one to admire anything around them. He would simply pass them by and move forward to trying to achieve his goals. She would talk to him about it later but for now, entertaining the Daimyo was her current mission. "And your little sister, what's her name? You're very close to her, I assume, since you're taking time to buy her some flowers. You'll be going home tomorrow and it's such a nice souvenir, freshly cut flowers from Fire Country's strongest Hidden Village," commented Sakura as she continued talking to the Daimyo.

"My sister's name is Umi, a kind soul. She's about five years younger than me, as old as you. I'm assuming you're sixteen, after all," informed Kouji as he drummed his fingers rhythmically against the table. Ino had slowed down slightly to try and listen in on Sakura and Kouji's conversation. Getting a wrapped bouquet of flowers from the Yamanakas took a while, as their process of doing so was slow and methodical. "Umi was incredibly worried when she found out I was to be named the next Daimyo. My father, of course, had his choice among his sons, making it four choices in all, including myself. My older brothers were all married but my father found them to be too attached to themselves whereas I, I had always been captivated by the business of the state. I suppose that's why I became the Daimyo. Umi was frightened for my sake, me being the brother closest to her." Ino had already handed out the bouquet to the Daimyo. "Thank you," he said kindly, that charming smile gracing his features, setting down ryo on the table, "Keep the change."

"You're both so lucky," said Ino dreamily, her cerulean eyes focused on the exiting figures of Kouji and Sasuke. The blonde had held Sakura's arm, a silent call for her to stay back for a few moments. A bewildered look found its way to Sakura's face. "You and Sasuke-kun are on better terms, at least I hope you both are and you both get to escort probably the best looking of all the Daimyo in this country! Of course, knowing the other Daimyo are all old enough to be either our fathers or grandfathers of our children when we are of age but they were quite the lookers when they were younger," explained Ino, the same dreamy tone in her voice. A cheerful comment about how Shikamaru would fret, worry and be indifferent towards Ino escaped Sakura's lips. "You fiend! Why are you talking about that!" she screeched, trying to claw at her best friend. Another giggle escaped Sakura's lips as she exited to meet up with the other two.

Later that Evening, at the Dinner

Everyone important in the village, the Elders, the Godaime, even Jiraiya was assembled in a hall prepared especially for the evening. A select group of Jounin was there, some familiar to both Sasuke and Sakura, others simply familiar by face. Not too surprisingly, Kakashi had been invited, the named Jounin being famous for his archive of techniques, after all. Shizune, being the foremost Jounin Medical Specialist had been seated at the Godaime's left, a cheerful grin on her face. To the Godaime's right was the Daimyo, Fujisaki Kouji. Sakura was seated beside him then Sasuke at the very last seat on the table. They were the only two Chuunin who had been allowed to the dinner. The rumble of excitement rushed through who were present at the visit of a Daimyo. It had been at the last Chuunin Exams held in Konoha when various Daimyo came. The said exams were a painful memory for the two Chuunin present. Clinking of metal against glass managed to silence those who were there.

"Everyone, on behalf of the villagers of Konoha, I hope to extend our deepest gratitude for taking time to visit us here," began Tsunade, a signal for a speech. Kouji colored slightly, not expecting this but he managed to start to suppress the red that was already on his cheeks. "With your visit, I hope that we can strengthen the bonds that keep Konoha secured to the rest of the lands controlled by the various Daimyo. Although we are a Hidden Village, independent of the common rule of Daimyo all around and self-preserving, we dedicate our forces to helping the common good of the nation we are apart of. Our allies, I assure you, do the same for their own country. With that, we would like you, Fujisaki Kouji, seventh Daimyo of the land known as Enkou, to have this sword," continued Tsunade, finishing her speech. Shizune had lifted a sheathed sword from beneath the table and set it down in front of the Daimyo. Kouji was speechless.

"I am honored to receive this token from Konoha," spoke Kouji when he had regained his voice. His hands trembled slightly as he removed the sword from its sheath. He had heard of the wondrous talents of the Konoha forgers, much more skilled and gifted than their own, considering they had more use for war weapons than they did. The silver metal gleamed in the artificial light. "With all the power and strength in my hands, I will promise that the land of Enkou will continue to ally itself with Konoha, as a land ruled by this country's central government," finished Kouji, his voice growing softer. A thunderous rumble of applause resounded throughout the room; the Daimyo slumping down into his seat, his hand still clutching the sword he had just been given. The dinner had ended soon after and in an hour; the only people who were left were Sasuke and Sakura. The Godaime had personally escorted the Daimyo to where he would spend the night.

"You were too harsh on Kouji-sama," said Sakura softly as the pair began making their way out. The clock struck midnight the minute they stepped out of the dining hall. "I mean, he was just being friendly and all. Is it a crime to be friendly?" she continued as she walked in step with the boy she had always adored. Sasuke made no effort to comment on her statement. "With the way you were acting, it's as if you owned me or something! Sasuke-kun, really, what is it with you and unknown men who are trying to get to know me? Ever since you've returned you were always like that! I never quite understood your mannerisms and even until now I don't," spoke Sakura, a somewhat scathing tone to her voice. With a yelp, Sakura had been pulled towards the Uchiha, a blazing fire burning strongly in the onyx depths he called his eyes.

"You are the only person, the only existence in this world, who has confused me since the day I had become an avenger," he began, his voice so cold that Sakura swore it almost froze the air between them, little as it may be. "You're the only one who dares to know more about me, even with the risk of burning in the fires of hell that I live in," he continued, the fire in his eyes burning stronger and stronger, "And I want to understand all your reasons, your manner of thinking, even if you annoy me to a point that I want to kill you." Sakura flinched at his words but said nothing. "And I will allow no one to go between me and my goal of understanding you," he finished, letting go of his hold on her. With that, he moved on without her. Sakura's jade eyes followed his fleeting figure until he disappeared.

**Tsuzuku…**

A rather unexpected end, don't you think? Well, regardless, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

And as started, I will now take some time off to answer your reviews!

**Only Secret:** A Daimyo is a feudal lord in ancient Japan, usually taking hold of a fair amount of land.

**TriGemini:** I was fiddling around with the psychological aspect of being a Medical Specialist in that chapter. And yes, it was nice of Sasuke but I doubt you'll be seeing any more of that now, seeing as what had just happened in this chapter.

**Cherri-chan:** One would typically have a feeling that there might be a food poisoning epidemic because of the scent of food. Rotten food usually means poisoned food due to natural degradation.

**Potato Llama:** Yes, dear Sasuke-kun is definitely not used to this new Sakura. He's still used to the old one, the one he considered weak and annoying. Though she definitely grew since then, it's only been a year and five months since he's been back at Konoha and this new Sakura has only sprung up starting five months prior, or simply put it, the beginning of this fanfic.

**Far-Fetched Imagineer:** Thank you for reading CotHaS! I am mighty proud of that story, considering I don't usually write fanfics like that and it turned out pretty well.

**Phoe-chan:** Yup! You got it! It was simply bad seafood and not an attempt at bringing down Konoha. With my writing style, I would have set up some sort of background if I were to write that plot twist. Though, for some people's disappointment, that will not happen, at least not for this fanfic. Maybe in PPV: Act Two.

And that's all the time I have for this week. Again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Sorry for being around a day late from my usual weekend updates. It's been busy and I've been doing so many things (mostly reading HP6 and watching Saiyuki Reload Gunlock).

Stay tuned for next week's update, which will hopefully not be late!

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Thirteen – Remembering the Past

**Chapter Preview:** His mind throbbed painfully as he slumped down to the floor. His head was reeling. Thoughts were being pushed into his mind as he unconsciously bit his lower lip so hard that it almost bled. His fists were clenched tightly that his knuckles started to turn white because of the strain. It was that day nine years ago and he could remember the pulsating pain he had felt as clearly as the day itself. He could remember seeing their bloodied, battered bodies, his towering figure with an impassive and indifferent expression on his face. He could remember the fear that was pounding in his body, the immense physical, emotional and mental pain that had surged through his body nine years ago. A soft, almost timid knocking sound resounded throughout the room, causing him to bolt upright, breaking in a cold sweat. In a panicked frenzy, he fixated his gaze on the slowly opening door. A face he never wanted to see again popped up as his voice let out a bloodcurdling scream.


	13. Remembering the Past

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Thirteen – Remembering the Past

Murmurs rushed noisily throughout the crowd, a combined effort. They were trying their hardest to avert their gazes from him but found the task extremely difficult. It was the ninth year since the tragedy had occurred, leaving them shocked as to why it had happened in the first place. His soul was still torn, fragmented and injured to a point that mentioning anything about that day was taboo in his midst. Of course it was still disrespecting his family's honor to talk about it behind his back but it was almost an impossible task to fulfill, especially during the day that he was at his worst. Then again, if anyone was going to be in his place, they would probably act the same way, although their wrath wouldn't have been as hellish as that of the prodigious Uchiha Sasuke.

It was a sight that haunted him every single day, most especially on the day itself. He could remember how his muscles trembled and numbed. He could remember that surreal world that he had been ensnared in. The bloodied and mangled bodies of his parents flashed repeatedly and continuously in his mind's eye. He could smell the metallic scent of the caking of the splattered blood on the different houses that made up the Uchiha compound. He swore he could even taste it in his mouth, the carmine blood swirling in his mouth before it slid down his throat, burning a path through him as it entered his stomach with a merciless plop. Everyone had learned to distance themselves from him even more so than usual that day. Everyone had learned to continue on with their lives that day. Everyone had learned to pretend nothing was wrong that day. Everyone had learned except her.

Sasuke found it a pain that she would always go to him and offer him a sincere smile, saying everything was going to be alright. Back then, she never fully understood the reason why he had grown bitter, cold and distant. It was only fairly recently when she had fully understood the reason why this day was a day of sheer pain for him. He had heard that she had met crossed paths with that man, somehow, and by then, she had fully understood what happened to him in the past. He found his blood pulsing through his veins even faster at the notion of her meeting him, a chance he should have gotten and not her. However, when he had found out it was merely a high-level jutsu of the cloning nature, he had calmed down considerably, rationally assuring himself that the man who had caused his every nightmare wouldn't chase down one of an extremely lower caliber than himself. Suddenly, everything went black.

"Why are you dreaming of this?" asked a voice as Sasuke found his gaze blurring and merging into one another. One moment, everything was sharp and crystal clear. The next, he couldn't tell apart one thing from another, let alone a single color from a second one. "You are too weak, allowing yourself to be consumed by all this," continued the drone of the voice, an incessant ache in Sasuke's thinking breaking his concentration. He was breathing heavily as he looked around, trying to find where the voice was coming from. "It's been nine years and at your age, I have achieved much more," added the voice, an obvious insulting and mocking ring to it, "A Chuunin at ten, an ANBU Captain at thirteen, much better than your accomplishments of Chuunin at fifteen. You disappoint me, Sasuke. You shame the lineage that you are from." A floor had suddenly materialized beneath his feet, as well as his parents. They were looking at him with an expression which was throwing a threat of being disowned. "See, even they are ashamed of you."

"Shut up," he hissed as burning tears began forming in his eyes. He, Uchiha Sasuke, would never cry in public. He was far too strong for that. In the confines of his own home, all walls he had built to safeguard his broken and torn soul were wrecked and destroyed, allowing a time to let the flood of emotions loose. The voice continued to taunt him. "I said shut up!" he shouted as he covered his ears with his hands, his lips still moving. The voice did not heed the words of Sasuke. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" shouted Sasuke, his words like a mantra, "Just who do you think you are!" Recurring images from broken and fragmented memories began playing in his mind. He began to imagine himself as an innocent seven year old, running through the streets that lay in between the various houses of the Uchiha compound. He had no idea what awaited him at his own home.

His mind throbbed painfully as he slumped down to the floor. His head was reeling. Thoughts were being pushed into his mind as he unconsciously bit his lower lip so hard that it almost bled. His fists were clenched tightly that his knuckles started to turn white because of the strain. It was that day nine years ago and he could remember the pulsating pain he had felt as clearly as the day itself. He could remember seeing their bloodied, battered bodies, his towering figure with an impassive and indifferent expression on his face. He could remember the fear that was pounding in his body, the immense physical, emotional and mental pain that had surged through his body nine years ago. A soft, almost timid knocking sound resounded throughout the room, causing him to bolt upright, breaking in a cold sweat. In a panicked frenzy, he fixated his gaze on the slowly opening door. A face he never wanted to see again popped up as his voice let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Six in the Morning

Sakura smiled, assuring the Jounin that nothing was wrong. When Aya had come to pick Sakura up, a surprise seeing as they hadn't been seeing much of each other for the past week because of an important mission taking up most of the Jounin's time, she had noticed Sakura's sullen mood. When they were already on their way to their usual training ground, Aya had begun showing Sakura with an onslaught of questions, like a worried older sister or cousin. The Chuunin had always replied 'Nothing's wrong, Aya-sensei' or 'I'm just thinking about something, that's all' or something on similar tones. The Jounin was disbelieving of her answers and decided to interrogate the Chuunin even further. By the time they were already in their training ground, Aya had hardly gotten any more information out of the pink haired girl.

"Fine, fine, don't tell me about it," said Aya dejectedly as she ran a hand through her goldenrod tresses. A nervous and, at the same time, apologetic laugh escaped Sakura's lips. Shrugging her dejection away, Aya looked at Sakura with her sharp, crystal clear amethyst optics and stretched her lithe arms out. "Today, we're going to have more Nin Jutsu, Gen Jutsu and Tai Jutsu practice," began the Jounin as she rubbed her hands together, warming the skin. Sakura nodded as she waited for more instructions. "Although you will be allowed the use of Nin Jutsu, you will have to rely on your Tai Jutsu more," continued Aya as she eyed the female opposite of her, "Your Crescent Blade usage has been getting better and better since we started five months ago." A bashful smile graced Sakura's face, disappearing a few moments after. "This fight begins now," announced Aya, all tones of seriousness in her voice.

The two kunoichi had fallen into stance, eyeing each other dangerously. Aya had begun to hold her Crescent Blade in an unfamiliar position, the crescent-shaped metal curving over her head, the fingers on Aya's left hand resting gently on the front tip of the blade. The strain of her arm was enormous, as it was hard enough to even lift the weapon from the ground. To carry it over her head was simply amazing. Sakura's had hers in a different position than what she had been taught at the very beginning, learning to contort the basic style into her own version. Her Crescent Blade was lying flat, as if on a table made of air. Her fingertips were barely touching the steel but she felt the cold emanating from the metal. She was lunging forward slightly, her left leg stretched back and her right knee bent slightly. With a silent signal, the two kunoichi sprung forward into action.

"Aaaahhhh!" shouted Sakura, a somewhat battle cry, as she swung her Crescent Blade wildly. Aya, on the other hand, brought hers down. Both steel weapons clashed together with a deafening clang resounding throughout the otherwise quiet forest. The impact was enough to send both kunoichi back into a tree, Aya's pupils turning white momentarily before they managed to regain her senses and land squarely on their feet. Heaving heavy sighs, Sakura looked up, her vision darkened because of her hitai-ate, the action merely being a force of habit. She still hadn't broken those habits even after getting used to doing everything blindfolded. Setting down her Crescent Blade, she began to use hand seals that were familiar to her even when she was a Genin. Drawing in a deep breath of air, she prepared herself for her next attack. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" she shouted before releasing a fiery wave from her mouth. She could hear the flammable materials before her burn as the fire from her mouth began to dissipate.

"Too obvious, Sakura!" shouted Aya as she descended from above, almost managing to cut the Chuunin cleanly into two pieces before Sakura had reacted. The Chuunin managed to dive away from Aya, leaving behind her own Crescent Blade while Aya's had cut a long, deep gash on Sakura's arm, the sanguine liquid flowing freely and in a matter of seconds, Sakura's entire arm was red. "Don't do something that your opponent will expect!" shouted Aya once more as she began dashing towards the retreating Sakura. In a moment of panic, Sakura had contemplated on admitting defeat. However, Aya would never forgive her if she had done that. Ripping off her hitai-ate, Sakura had begun to perform the appropriate hand seals for the Chiyute no Jutsu. It would prove fatal if she let it remain that way for so long, the chances of her wound being contaminated higher the longer she kept it open.

"Chiyute no Jutsu!" hissed Sakura, wincing as she let her chakra-enveloped hand start regenerating the destroyed cells of her arm. She could begin to see her skin beginning to stitch itself up with the help of her chakra, managing to recreate majority of her skin cells. A long, slightly visible scar would still remain, reminding her of today's mistake. Over time, it would most likely disappear but not any time soon. The Chuunin kept her senses alert for any sign of Aya nearing her place of hiding. Sakura was already a fourth of the way into sealing up the long wound when the Jounin appeared, almost startling her out of her wits. "Damn it!" swore Sakura as she began moving backwards, trying to regain the somewhat comfortable lead she had over the Jounin just a few moments ago. "Damn it!" she swore again as she turned around, the game of cat and mouse continuing.

"It's no use, Sakura!" shouted Aya once more as she jumped forward, managing to catch Sakura with her free left hand and pushing the Chuunin downwards. Sakura fell on the forest floor with a loud thud, her pupils turning white as she lost all her breath. Aya had her Crescent Blade hanging right above Sakura's throat. "Guess this one you lost," said Aya casually as she set down her Crescent Blade and helped the Chuunin sit up straight. A groan managed to escape Sakura's lips as she tried to regain her vision. "You go seal up that wound of yours and I'll get your Crescent Blade and hitai-ate," murmured the Jounin as her goldenrod tresses obscured her vision. Sakura managed to exert enough effort to reply with a sound of recognition before focusing all her remaining chakra on sealing her wound. The scar that would be left now would be slightly more visible compared to the scar tissue left when she was sealing the wound earlier.

In the Evening

Sakura had managed to enter the Uchiha compound on her own. Luckily, Sasuke didn't change the locks since they were Genin. She and Kakashi had a set of spare keys as among the three of them, including Naruto, they were the only ones who could really get Sasuke back to his senses. Naruto would probably just further aggravate the already irritated Sasuke. She could hear her heart pound in the silence of the house as she made her way to Sasuke's room. The minute she was one step away from reaching the doorknob, the door swung open and she was pushed back against the wall. Warm breath danced against her skin, tickling her as she looked up, with worry painting her jade green optics as she met endless pools of dark black. "Sasuke-kun," she murmured breathlessly, looking down to avoid his sharp gaze, "I was worried."

"You didn't need to be," he muttered coldly, letting go of his hold on her. Sakura slumped down to the floor, her mind in complete disorder. "Why are you here?" he asked, his words cutting the air between them cleanly. She had done this once before, back when they had arrived in Konoha, back when no one had offered him their trust but her. Sakura replied weakly, though firmly, that she was worried and that she wanted to check up on him. "I'm not some little boy you know," he said, his frustration showing through. Sakura managed to get up, her knees still weak, as she watched him. "I'm not some little boy who still gets nightmares of that night. I'm not some little boy who needs someone to watch over him before he does anything rash," he hissed as he looked at her. Sakura swore that his eyes were scarlet for a few moments. "I need neither your pity nor your worry, Sakura!" he finished, his voice rising with his anger.

"Then why are you acting like a little boy then?" asked Sakura softly, still not looking at Sasuke. The emotional dam broke as Sasuke picked her up, his hand clamped around her neck, tight enough to start choking her, but loose enough to let her continue breathing. Her feet were dangling slightly above the ground as her fingers wrapped around his hand, trying to pry it open. "Sasuke-kun," she said between heaving breaths as deep as she could, "You will never get over them until you let yourself get over them." His hold on her neck grew tighter, Sakura wincing at the pressure that he was adding to her neck. In a few seconds, she was already gasping for air. If he continued this for the next five or ten minutes, he could effectively kill her slowly and tortuously.

"Your family has always been complete. I've never seen you a moment without someone near you," he hissed angrily, anger written all over his face, "You wouldn't understand how it is to be alone." He heard her soft, strained reply of 'Yes, yes I do.' His grip on her neck only tightened further. "You don't, you really don't, Sakura," he hissed as he narrowed his eyes. This time she was sure that his eyes were scarlet, even for only a couple of seconds. Letting go, Sasuke unclamped his hand from around her neck as she landed painfully on the floor with a thud. He didn't even flinch when he saw Sakura trying to regain all that lost air. He wasn't at all remorseful. "Get out, Sakura," he said monotonously, dangers of getting hurt coated his tone, if she stayed any longer, "I don't want to do something I'm going to regret."

"Fine," she murmured, her voice still strained as tears began burning in her eyes. Sasuke kept the cool gaze he had on her. "All I wanted to do was help. It seems that my assistance is not needed," muttered Sakura as she turned around and began walking away. The minute she had turned her back on him, her tears began falling as she covered her mouth in her hand. His onyx eyes remained transfixed on her fleeting figure as he remained where he was. He could still feel the warmth of her neck on his hand. He could still see the panic rising in her eyes when he had clamped his hand around her neck. He could hear her silent whimpers of pain as lifted her up slightly into the air. And even with all that, he showed absolutely no emotion even though it was eating him up inside when he had seen her tears.

"It's not like she should have been here in the first place," said Sasuke quietly, consoling himself as to what he had just done. Turning around, he began walking back to his room, a pounding pain in his head irritating him. He could taste the blood like in his dream. He could remember their quiet smiles, his father's normally unexpressive face and his mother's warm visage. He could remember the smiles of a person he didn't want to remember, no matter how vague that person's younger face seemed to be. "It's not like she needs to know that he had visited me," he muttered angrily, slamming his fist onto the wall. Small wounds opened on his knuckles as they bled slightly, his arm growing limp beside him. Tiny patches of red decorated the wall. "I'm weak," he hissed as he slumped down to the floor, falling into a crumpled heap, "I'm so fucking weak." No one was beside him when the tears began to fall from his face freely and unconsciously as he continued to breathe normally.

**Tsuzuku…**

Well. Things never go as planned. The story wasn't supposed to end this way but I liked it. It at least followed through the basic plan I had.

And thank you for your continued support for this fanfic! It's been getting good responses lately!

On a side note…

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY SASUKE-KUN!**

Even though this chapter is kind of dark.

Now, it's time for my responses to your reviews!

**TriGemini:** Yep, Sasuke tends to take things just one notch above normal. But, I suppose that's how he is.

**Sagitarious Devil:** Actually, it's just because Sasuke doesn't understand his own feelings. Throughout the entire fanfic, at least PPV anyway and not considering PPV: Act Two, he's going to be like that.

**Phoe-chan:** Yeah, Naruto could have been at the dinner but I would have found it awkward. What would Naruto do at the dinner! And yes, waking up from a nightmare is really creepy. When that happens to me, my heart races and I look around to double check if I'm in reality or not, or at least what we consider reality.

**mitchigirl:** I don't have a regular update schedule, like I update every Friday or something. It's lucky enough I have enough time and inspiration to update once a week! So for now, it's just a weekly update sometime around the weekend.

**cherri-chan:** Yeah, I suppose Sakura should be happy but this isn't the normal Sasuke we're dealing with. This is the Sasuke who's emotionally unstable and does everything out of his norm!

And that's it for now!

As we speak, I'm trying to think of the flow of PPV: Act Two, which you keep hearing about. If you don't remember, I have everything in this story, PPV, planned out, from chapter one to the very last. There will be **twenty-seven (27)** chapters in this story and it will not be updated afterwards. There will be a second 'arc' called **Past Peripheral Vision: Act Two** which will start where PPV left off, sometime right before the start of the Jounin Exams in other words, and end… well, I haven't gotten that far yet. So when you see a story called **Past Peripheral Vision: Act Two**, think of it as a somewhat sequel to this!

Stay tuned for next week's installment!

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Fourteen – A Month Away

"That was a pretty fulfilling day, don't you think, Sakura?" asked Aya as she swung her legs lazily in the river. The pink haired Chuunin nodded as her jade green eyes watched the crackling fire, pale orange reflecting on her optics from the blaze. Taking a deep breath, Aya got a whiff of the roasting fish they were going to eat. There were about four or five medium-sized fish cooking by the fire. "I've never really been out on a training mission before," commented Aya as she looked up at the darkening sky. Sakura made a sound of understanding as she fanned the fire gently, strengthening the blaze. "At least not one-on-one with a Jounin," added Aya as she withdrew her legs from the river and patted them dry with a towel they had packed. Wearing her sandals, she made her way beside the Chuunin and sat down with a soft plop. "Let's eat! We've got a long month ahead of us, Sakura. Let's do the best we can with the time we have!" said Aya enthusiastically, picking up two cooked fish and handing one to the Chuunin. A smile of appreciation found its way to Sakura's face as she took the fish gratefully.


	14. A Month Away

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Fourteen – A Month Away

Her unseeing eyes focused on the path below, her ears focused intently on the crunching sound beneath her feet. She felt like an angel whose wings were ripped off because she was sent away from her home on a mission, different from any mission before. With a sigh, she looked back up, not that it made a difference in her line of vision, and continued walking. Small beads of sweat rolled down her face. The weight on her back grew heavier with each step as she recalled what the Godaime had told her just a couple of hours before. _"Sakura, Aya and I were discussing things about your training lately," spoke the Godaime as she drummed her fingers idly on the wooden desk, "And it's been a collective decision, on our part, that you both go on a month-long training session outside of Konoha. First of all, it's beneficial because you have a wider range of possible training grounds and secondly, you are freer to do things you normally take consideration in doing because we live in a place surrounded with people. This matter has already been mentioned to your parents so you needn't worry."_ Another sigh escaped her lips as she thought of her parents. She never really went out of Konoha to train. It was always just a mission and she was never out for very long either.

"Cheer up, Sakura! The month will fly by before you know it and you'll be looking forward to your next training session!" said Aya with a grin, falling in step with the pink haired Chuunin. A small smile found its way to Sakura's face, her cheeks reddening slightly before reverting back to its original color. A comforting squeeze on the shoulders caused Sakura to jerk back slightly, her hand lingering slightly above on her kunai holster. Her cousins had always done that to her and she always expected something bad to happen. Ever since she graduated from the Academy, and a couple of weeks prior to that event, she had the habit of letting her hand drift over to the area right above her kunai holster. Of course she always threatened them back with a dull blade but they never knew that. "You've got a sharp reaction. Bullying from older relatives, I suppose," said Aya with another grin, her hands stuffed in her pockets. Sakura nodded sheepishly, a low apology escaping her lips. "No need to apologize," said Aya as she focused her amethyst eyes on the road in front, "It's not like I don't do that with my older brother."

"Aya-sensei, what sorts of training will I undergo throughout this month?" asked Sakura as she straightened her posture, her spirits getting considerably better. Aya let out a soft, reflective hum as she continued to walk, leaves and a few small twigs crunching beneath the soles of her sandals. "And where are we going to stay for the duration of the training session?" she added as she let her nails dance above the itchy skin on the bottom of her chin. Aya managed to answer the second question before the first one. They were going to stay in an area about half a day away from Konoha, camping out for twenty-nine days straight. On the thirtieth day, they were going back to Konoha and take the rest of the day off. The Jounin would then report Sakura's progress to the Godaime. "Ah, I see," said Sakura understandingly as they continued to walk, "And the training? Can you tell me what we're going to do?"

"Mostly Gen Jutsu training on your part," replied Aya as her amethyst eyes darkened a shade. A spark of excitement rushed through the Chuunin's veins. Gen Jutsu was what she was born to do! Of course she was getting better and better at Nin Jutsu and Tai Jutsu but if counting raw, congenital talent alone, she was tuned to become typically a Gen Jutsu user. In her team, including Kakashi, she was the odd one out. The three of them were all tuned to become a standard ninja, heavy on Tai Jutsu, reliant on Nin Jutsu and weaponry to back up their brute force. She was more the tactician and would be able to offer medicinal support as well as help delay the opponents. "Today, it's reintroduction to the basics of Gen Jutsu," continued Aya. A groan escaped Sakura's lips. She never did like the basics of Gen Jutsu. All she was doing was picturing what Gen Jutsu she wanted to do, gather chakra and apply a weak version of it, just to get the hang of it. A sly grin found its way to Aya's face when she heard Sakura's disappointment. "But, if you can prove to me you're still as proficient in Gen Jutsu as you and Godaime-sama claim, then we'll move on to more difficult Jutsu," promised Aya.

Back in Konoha

"Kakashi-sensei, where's Sakura-chan!" asked Naruto, again, for possibly the umpteenth time in the past hour. The Jounin was resisting all urges to grab Naruto by his collar and shake him until the blonde boy got it into his system that Sakura was out on a training mission for an entire month by order of the Godaime as her master. But, he had enough sense to not do that to the poor boy. Sasuke, assuming he cared enough about the pink haired girl, was coping well. The Uchiha was currently venting it all out on an innocent log which happened to be at the right place at the right time or the wrong place at the right time. Kakashi still remained to be the person who took care of Sasuke's training, occasionally training Naruto as well. Training both Naruto and Sasuke had been happening a lot fairly recently lately. A faint blush found its way to the Jounin's face whenever it happened. Jiraiya was usually off scouting for more information for his books. "Kakashi-sensei, answer me!"

"Kakashi said Sakura's off with Aya for some training mission, dobe!" growled Sasuke as he kicked at the log, the sole of his sandal connecting with the handle of the kunai. The extreme pressure added onto the knife was strong enough to drive through the log and split it, sandy colored splinters sticking out painfully from the split wood. Naruto was starting to wear out Sasuke's already thin patience for the umpteenth time that day, mostly because of his incessant queries, but also because his questions were always about Sakura. Their relationship, be it as acquaintances, fellow shinobi of Konoha or, dare anyone think it, friends had been rocky, extremely, as of late. One couldn't blame Sakura for it because she was being her usual self. Sasuke was acting broodier than normal. "So just stop talking and train," he added with another growl, "I'm sure I've gotten far better than you, again." With that, Naruto flew off his handle and began accusing Sasuke for telling lies.

"These two will never change," said Kakashi with a soft smirk on his face as his shoulders began to sag, flipping a page in the famed orange book methodically. The content of the books entered his mind but didn't really register, as images of when Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto were still Genin flashed through his mind. Sasuke and Naruto would bicker about every single little thing. Sasuke had his extreme cases of superiority complex, and the talent enough to back up every single one of his claims, and Naruto always took Sasuke's insults to heart. Sakura would always side with Sasuke but that was because she was biased between the two to begin with. Though her feelings mellowed out for the both of them, the sole female still tended to see things in the light that Sasuke was right and Naruto was wrong. A frown found its way to the Jounin's face when he thought about how Sakura and Sasuke had been acting towards each other lately.

Hours Later, during Training

"Tora, Uma, Ryu, Saru," murmured Sakura to herself as she performed the hand seals. For now, she was allowed to remove her hitai-ate, as some Gen Jutsu were in the form of Dou Jutsu. In a flash, a blast of chakra was released from Sakura, heading straight towards Aya who was ready to cancel it. For Aya, basic Gen Jutsu training was to perform the Gen Jutsu, allow a willing "victim" to be caught, lingering in the effects of the Gen Jutsu for a few moments and then canceling it afterwards. It wasn't enough for Aya to know that her student knew the hand seals and amount of chakra required to perform the Gen Jutsu. She wanted to make sure her student could perform the jutsu properly. Moments after she had been caught in the Gen Jutsu, Aya cancelled its effects, motioning for Sakura to go onto the next of the basic Gen Jutsu that she knew. "Nezumi, O-ushi, Hebi, Ousu-buta," Sakura murmured once more, shifting to a Gen Jutsu that affected Aya's sight, causing the images to merge together into indistinct, fuzzy patches of color.

"Good, you still remember most of your basic Gen Jutsu," said Aya with a slight nod, canceling the effects of the illusory technique with ease. Sakura nodded. She was proud that she still remembered every single motion to the Gen Jutsu that she knew. "Okay, back on with your hitai-ate," said Aya as she drew a kunai and fell into a fighting stance, "And it's time for us to have our daily sparring. Afterwards, remove your hitai-ate and let's fish for our dinner." The pink haired Chuunin nodded, hastily tying a tight knot at the back of her head and falling into stance, opting not to draw out her weapons. Her Tai Jutsu style was identical to the Godaime's, allowing for optimum destruction in various ways. "On three," murmured Aya confidently, narrowing her amethyst eyes to her sparring partner. Sakura made no sound. "Three, two, one!" said Aya, shouting out the last number. The two kunoichi launched at each other almost simultaneously.

Aya made a maddening swipe, a clear cutting sound slashing across the air as the knife made its way towards Sakura. Bending down low, the Chuunin slid across from her position, sliding behind Aya and punching the ground, breaking it into various large boulder-sized chunks. Smaller chunks flew up to the air and began falling towards the ground making contact with skin and causing stinging, though slight, pain. The sun had begun to set, offering less light to the Jounin making it more advantageous to Sakura. Beads of sweat rolled down the Jounin's chin, dripping onto her hand. Dropping the kunai on the floor, Aya began to make a series of hand seals. Sakura was hidden nearby, able to hear the murmurs of the Jounin. The seals were in a series unfamiliar to her. With that, the Chuunin assumed that it was a technique she didn't know and opted to move away.

"Katon: Okibi Arashi no Jutsu!" shouted Aya, a blaze of fire erupting from her mouth towards the sky, spiraling down like a rain shower of fiery strips. Sakura's heart began to pound as she dove towards the river, feeling the intense heat from the jutsu. Though most of her body managed to get drenched by the water, some fire had burned through the skin of her left calf, eliciting a shout of pain on her part. "Got you!" shouted Aya as her sharp amethyst eyes caught sight of the girl with glowing hands. Moving her hands quickly, Aya began to use another jutsu, still of the Katon family. "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" shouted Aya, fireballs erupting from her mouth and flying towards Sakura.

In a swift movement, the Chuunin drew out her Crescent Blade and managed to swipe at the fireballs, dissipating most of them and weakening the rest that she couldn't reach. The fiery balls burned at her skin, making Sakura bite down her lower lip to stop from screaming. She bit her lower lip so hard that it almost bled. Aya was offering no handicap, even if Sakura had been drained of a significant amount of chakra just before this sparring match. Hearing footsteps, Sakura knew that the Jounin was coming in, fast. Summoning all her strength, Sakura forced herself to stand up, using the Crescent Blade as leverage. Leaving her largest weapon behind, Sakura jumped across the rocks on the riverbed, going to the opposite side. She needed to get as much of a head start over the Jounin as possible. Her heart pounded, feeling her head getting heavy from all the pain she was feeling at the moment. Each step she took almost caused her to falter as she was relying heavily on the right side of her body so as to not aggravate her wounded left half. Suddenly, she felt a strong blow from behind, swiping at the base of her neck.

"That's enough, Sakura," said Aya softly, catching the teetering Chuunin, in between conscious and unconscious, "You've done your best. Very few manage to last that long when I use that Katon technique." A faint sound of acknowledgement escaped Sakura's lips before she closed her eyes, succumbing to the call of being unconscious. Lifting the Chuunin, Aya began walking towards the river, making her way back to the camp they set up nearby. "It's a good thing Godaime-sama made me bring that medical kit," murmured Aya to herself, shifting Sakura's weight evenly onto her shoulders, "Otherwise, I wouldn't know what would happen to these burn marks." Aya looked at the somewhat charred, reddened flesh that was peeling on both Sakura's leg and arms. "And I didn't mean for it to be that strong. Sorry about that, Sakura," said the Jounin apologetically. Sakura's head bobbed against Aya's steady gait, an unwitting nod.

Sunset, near the Camp

Hazy jade eyes slowly opened. Various hues of violet, orange, red and pink greeted her eyes, as well as the darkened green leaves of the trees. She could hear the rushing of water from a nearby river. As her hand moved, it brushed against cold metal, followed by soft cloth. Turning her head sideways, her half-lidded eyes were met by the sight of her hand atop her hitai-ate. Looking back up at the sky, she felt a painful throb pound persistently at her temple. "Where… where am I…?" she murmured softly, willing her body to move. In what seemed like hours for her, she finally sat up straight, her gaze met by the sight of Aya, watching over a fire where fish speared with wooden barbecue sticks were roasting. "Aya-sensei…?" asked Sakura, unsure of whom she was actually talking to, "Is that you?" A soft laugh escaped Aya's lips as the blonde nodded.

"Yup. Guess I was a bit too harsh on you," said Aya, apologizing once more, as she scratched the back of her head. Sakura's cheeks reddened as fragments of their earlier sparring session bounced back into her mind. Garbled words erupted from her lips, what Aya assumed to be an apology. She distinctly heard 'sorry' and 'forgive me'. "It's alright, Sakura," said Aya as she brushed aside the apology, "I didn't expect you to really be up to your par and I didn't mean for you to get that hurt. You should have seen your leg. Most of the skin was charred and burned. It's a good thing Godaime-sama made me bring a medical kit or who knows what would have happened to your leg!" Sakura remembered how her left leg looked like. It was red and bleeding, large patches of skin peeling off. Some of the patches were even burned to a crisp.

"I should have been more careful, Aya-sensei. Tsunade-shishou would have really gotten mad at me if she saw my condition today," spoke Sakura softly as she sat down by the fire, "A Medical Specialist's main duty, after all, is not healing but, rather, to avoid attacks coming his or her way. If a Medical Specialist is wounded or out of action, who would heal the rest of the team, right?" Aya nodded slowly, understanding the logic. "And thank you for the trouble of healing my wounds for me. I would have done so myself if I weren't unconscious and for that, I'm sorry," murmured Sakura as she bent down her head. Aya brushed off her apology once more and said it was nothing. "I'll look after the fish, Aya-sensei. You can drink water or something," offered Sakura. A skeptical look found its way to the Jounin's face but meeting Sakura's determined expression caused her to give way. Standing up, Aya walked over to the river. Removing her sandals, Aya dipped her legs into the river and leaned back. Opening her mouth, the Jounin spoke.

"That was a pretty fulfilling day, don't you think, Sakura?" asked Aya as she swung her legs lazily in the river. The pink haired Chuunin nodded as her jade green eyes watched the crackling fire, pale orange reflecting on her optics from the blaze. Taking a deep breath, Aya got a whiff of the roasting fish they were going to eat. There were about four or five medium-sized fish cooking by the fire. "I've never really been out on a training mission before," commented Aya as she looked up at the darkening sky. Sakura made a sound of understanding as she fanned the fire gently, strengthening the blaze. "At least not one-on-one with a Jounin," added Aya as she withdrew her legs from the river and patted them dry with a towel they had packed. Wearing her sandals, she made her way beside the Chuunin and sat down with a soft plop. "Let's eat! We've got a long month ahead of us, Sakura. Let's do the best we can with the time we have!" said Aya enthusiastically, picking up two cooked fish and handing one to the Chuunin. A smile of appreciation found its way to Sakura's face as she took the fish gratefully.

**Tsuzuku…**

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It's been a three (or four) week delay and I'm really really really sorry! I've been caught up with playing games, fiddling around with Photoshop and schoolwork!

I can't guarantee you that I'll be updating every week but at the very least, I will be updating once a month. Don't worry, I haven't lost interest in writing this but I just haven't found the time to work on it.

On a different topic… I've recently gotten this email about the fanfictionNET admin banning, or something like that, the authors who answered their reviewers' questions and comments in every chapter. Personally, I think it's unfair because this is the only way most authors know on how to interact with their readers. So, until this rumor has been cleared up, I will not be answering any reviews. Hope you understand that.

And **twenty-two (22)** reviews left until **Past Peripheral Vision** has reached the three hundred mark! I hope you guys review to help PPV reach a goal of three hundred reviews!

The next chapter is extremely interesting so hopefully, it'll be up within a week's time, to keep you guys from waiting.

Hope that you all still continue sticking by me until the entire story (and all its spin-offs and possible sequels) is complete!

Until the next installment!

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Fifteen – Kaleidoscope

**Chapter Preview:** Jumping from tree to tree, a lone figure moved silently against the green foliage. His dark colored cloak was a stark comparison against the bright green of the leaves but it didn't matter to him. He was strong enough to defeat an entire platoon of ANBU, possibly even three or four, all on his own. He was notorious for his most famous murder, more like an almost genocide of an entire prestigious line than a carefully planned murder really. His piercing gaze looked down every once in a while, as if looking for something. Stopping on a sturdy limb, he began looking around. He had heard rumors that there were two Konohagakure no Sato kunoichi training nearby, one a Jounin and the other a Chuunin. If that was the Chuunin he was thinking about, then he was most definitely interested in seeing her. Finally, he spotted a lone kunoichi, sitting down near the root of a large oak tree, healing wounds she had incurred in a spar. A light smirk graced his features as he moved towards the girl. "Found you," he whispered to himself, the blowing wind masking his voice.


	15. Kaleidoscope

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Fifteen – Kaleidoscope

Hazy eyes looked up at the female who was standing, taking in deep breaths. Her right hand clutched her painful left arm, muscle pain over anything else. She had to admit, she was getting better at her Tai Jutsu and Nin Jutsu and her Gen Jutsu was improving very well. It had been two weeks since they had both left Konoha to train. They had two weeks left. During the first week, all she was doing was basic Gen Jutsu and sparring. The week before as well as the current week, she was progressing to more complex Gen Jutsu, though these weren't unfamiliar to her, in preparation for the last week. During that one week, she had been promised an entirely different Gen Jutsu would be taught to her and the shortest time it took to master that single jutsu was a week. They expected her to master that single jutsu in a week when even the most gifted Gen Jutsu users took at least two. The Jounin Yuuhi Kurenai was different because she took half the time.

"Sakura, stay here and heal your wounds," instructed Aya as Sakura fell down to the ground, beads of sweat rolling down against her face. The pink haired Chuunin barely managed to nod, her mind teetering between the fine line of conscious and unconscious. "I'll go to the river and catch some fish for our dinner. I'm sure you'll be back to your old self in a few minutes. There are very few people who'd want to attack you all the way out here but just the same, be careful," said Aya, a wistful look in her eyes. Again, the Chuunin barely managed to nod her head. It was hard enough to even keep her head from falling down and succumbing to the land of unconscious as this rate. "I'll be back in a couple of hours or so," informed Aya as she faced the direction of the river, "Meanwhile, again, you just stay here and rest but remain alert." With that, the Jounin moved forward, vanishing as if she was never there.

"Haah," murmured Sakura tiredly as she fell back against the trunk of the tree. Luckily, she had collapsed in front of one. Slumping down, Sakura felt exhaustion seize her. Gathering all her strength, Sakura picked out a solder pill and popped it in her mouth, chewing the concentrated food ration slowly. "I never expected it to be this tiring," she murmured to herself, her eyelids closing. She hadn't been wearing her hitai-ate as of late, considering Gen Jutsu required ultimate and utmost concentration, especially on the whereabouts and position of her opponent and some of them were Dou Jutsu. With the hitai-ate, she was at a disadvantage. A slow thrum of power surged through her veins, color returning to her paling skin. Opening her eyelids, she put her hands together and began to perform a series of hand seals, a series she had been using quite often recently. "Chiyute no Jutsu," she mumbled tiredly before starting to run her chakra-covered hand over her wounds.

Jumping from tree to tree, a lone figure moved silently against the green foliage. His dark colored cloak was a stark comparison against the bright green of the leaves but it didn't matter to him. He was strong enough to defeat an entire platoon of ANBU, possibly even three or four, all on his own. He was notorious for his most famous murder, more like an almost genocide of an entire prestigious line than a carefully planned murder really. His piercing gaze looked down every once in a while, as if looking for something. Stopping on a sturdy limb, he began looking around. He had heard rumors that there were two Konohagakure no Sato kunoichi training nearby, one a Jounin and the other a Chuunin. If that was the Chuunin he was thinking about, then he was most definitely interested in seeing her. Finally, he spotted a lone kunoichi, sitting down near the root of a large oak tree, healing wounds she had incurred in a spar. A light smirk graced his features as he moved towards the girl. "Found you," he whispered to himself, the blowing wind masking his voice.

The figure remained stationary, sitting down on the branch he was standing on. His feet swung gently as he continued watching her. His gaze remained at her in rapt fascination, watching her every move. He had no specialty in the medicinal arts, nor did he have any inclination. He had always found some sort of morbid comfort in slaying, taking the life of anyone who had dared to go against him. His thoughts drifted to his past for a few moments, reminding himself of his roots, of the roots of the kunoichi that lay before him, the roots of the one who would inevitably face him in their final match one day. That same man was, like he, fascinated with the pink haired kunoichi but would never act out upon his feelings, at least not openly. What had happened nine years ago had stunted his emotional growth. Standing up, he noticed that the kunoichi had finished healing herself and was just resting against the oak tree, although still keeping an eye out for anyone who might attack. Jumping down, he made his presence clear and known.

"Hello, Sakura-san," said the male with a casual wave. His voice was hardly any different from a lazy drawl. Sakura's heart thumped loudly as she froze. Panic and fear were written all over her face as she continued to stare at him. She was at an obvious disadvantage. She had just come from a sparring session with a gifted Konoha Jounin and was still deathly tired. He had fresh and raw energy to spare and his eyes were hauntingly red. His eyes were not the Sharingan she was used to seeing. "Magenkyou Sharingan or the Kaleidoscope Sharingan as some people call it. One who has the Sharingan can obtain it by killing their most important friend," explained the male with an extremely calm demeanor.

"And you killed your best friend for this power, I suppose, Itachi?" asked Sakura, her voice growing cold. Her spine stiffened. She didn't need to know more about the deaths that the Uchiha prodigy before her delivered. She had already heard about the Uchiha Massacre and knew that he was the one behind it. She didn't want the terrifying nightmares that came along with the knowledge to come to her as they did for Sasuke. She would have broken at least a thousand times if she were in Sasuke's place that evening nine years ago. "What are you doing here, Itachi? I suppose to kill me although why you would, I wouldn't know. What value am I to those of you in the Akatsuki?" she asked bitterly, turning her head away from the S-Class Missing Nin of Konoha. Stories she heard from various sources said that even Orochimaru was afraid of this man. Rumors they may be but being in the intimidating presence of the other Uchiha made them seem to be true.

"If I were on Akatsuki business, Sakura-san, Kisame would be with me," said Itachi calmly, not even daring to take out a weapon or at least think of some sort of plan in case the kunoichi would attack, "And you seem to be incapable of attacking me, for now." A bitter laugh escaped Sakura's lips as she bent her head down, her rosette colored tresses blocking her eyes. "And even if he were to catch up to me by now, I would have ignored formalities, killed you or abducted you, depending on my orders and would have started moving back to the Akatsuki Headquarters, don't you think, Sakura-san?" murmured Itachi calmly as he looked down at her. Another chill ran through Sakura's spine. "I don't think I'm the type of person who dawdles around before completing what I was set out to do and I'm sure you know that very well, Sakura-san," added Itachi, a somewhat thoughtful tone to his voice.

In Konoha

Onyx eyes widened at his hand. The chopsticks broke under sheer pressure. Why he had been applying pressure to them in the first place, he didn't know. "Oi, Sasuke-teme, surely you don't expect to continue eating your ramen with a broken pair of chopsticks," said Naruto with a dulled voice, his ocean blue eyes staring at the broken wooden pieces in Sasuke's hand. The splinters stuck out painfully and luckily, the Uchiha remained unhurt, save for a small wound on his palm that would scab soon enough. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke set the broken chopsticks down and picked out another pair. Breaking it apart, Sasuke continued to eat his ramen. "It's the start of the third week of Sakura-chan's training," murmured Naruto quietly as he swirled his chopsticks in the soup of his own ramen, "I think she'll be okay. What do you think, Sasuke-teme?" Picking out some noodles from his bowl, Naruto slurped it down in a mere second.

"Don't really care. It's her training so why should I pay attention? I'll just be either disappointed or surprised next time she gets the chance to show her skills," muttered Sasuke idly. Deep in his mind, he had a bad feeling. Whenever he broke chopsticks, it was a sign that Itachi was near someone he knew very well and preferred not to die. Looking down at his bowl, Sasuke saw his reflection on the misty miso. Slowly, the ripples affected the image and morphed it into that of Itachi. For a moment, Sasuke's heart stopped and his gaze grew colder. For a minute there, he swore he saw the face of his brother. Shaking his head, he got some more of the ramen and continued eating. Feeling Naruto's inquisitive gaze focused on him, Sasuke shot him a withering look before speaking. "Mind your own business, dobe," he hissed before concentrating once more on his food.

"Isn't it far too late to be grumpy, Sasuke?" commented Kakashi idly, appearing behind Sasuke. The Uchiha was used to this, being under the tutelage of the lazy and perennially late Jounin ever since he came back to the village. Naruto still wasn't used to it and began shouting at Kakashi. "Sorry about that, Naruto," said Kakashi apologetically, a somewhat smile rising from beneath his mask. Naruto let it slide by for the umpteenth time since he had been put under Kakashi's training while Jiraiya was gone. "Two weeks left," mumbled Kakashi idly, pocketing his hands as he waited for the two boys to finish their ramen, "I wonder what Tsunade-sama is making her do out there."

"What, worried?" asked Sasuke as he stood up, leaving the second pair of chopsticks in the bowl. A few bills were left on the table for his food. Kakashi shrugged carelessly as Sasuke moved out of the stall and began making his way towards the training ground. Naruto, realizing that Sasuke was already finished, gulped down what remained of his seventh bowl, paid the money and began chasing after Sasuke, shouting. He was shouting something about Sasuke being unfair, leaving him to finish while the Uchiha prodigy would have more time to train and get stronger. Slowly, Kakashi moved his feet and began walking towards them. A wistful smile graced his face as he remembered the past. Naruto and Sasuke were bickering again, like they always did. The only one missing from the picture was Sakura, the one who tried to calm them both down. He, as their Jounin instructor, watched them with amusement and regret. His reason for amusement was obvious. His reason for regret was because when he was younger, he had never really experienced true friendship until the very end.

"When you both get to the field, start running fifty laps around the obstacle course I set up!" shouted Kakashi, using his hands as a megaphone. Naruto stopped and turned around, pointing an accusing finger at the Jounin. Sasuke merely snorted before continuing on towards their training ground. "What? Me? Want you both to suffer? What a preposterous idea Naruto!" said Kakashi, mock surprise written all over his face. In the minds of both Chuunin, they bitterly agreed that it was simply Kakashi to make them both suffer. "Anyway, since you both seem so energetic today after that ramen, why don't you both run to the training ground and start the minute you arrive! If you're not there in two minutes, that's an extra fifty laps around the obstacle course," said Kakashi, a somewhat sadistic smile on his face, "I'll be waiting." In a flurry of leaves, he was gone, their go signal. With a hefty groan from both boys, they began dashing towards the place that would take at least five minutes to get to.

With Sakura and Itachi

Within all that time, all Sakura did was stare up at Itachi, her right hand curled around a handle of a kunai that she had drawn out. All Itachi was doing was smiling simply down at the kunoichi, his hands free of any weapons. Sakura constantly shivered at the cold that emanated from the simple smile of the older Uchiha. Though he was only twenty-one, he looked far older than he really did. Sakura had the urge to blurt out and ask why he emanated a feeling of being older but restrained herself. Another smile appeared on Itachi's face as he watched Sakura battling with her own curiosity and her honor as a Konohagakure kunoichi. A laughing sound escaped his lips but to Sakura, it felt like her death was even closer to her than ever before. She could feel the coldness it wrought in the air around her. She could feel the terror it represented in the man before her. "What's so funny?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"It's nothing," said Itachi, the minute his laughter had subsided, "It's just that you remind me of my foolish little brother, the one who can never understand how important the things are in front of him." Sakura's eyes reflected her doubt but accepted his explanation anyway. "You seem to doubt me, Sakura-san," said Itachi, the scarlet of his eyes darkening slightly, as if receding to its normal onyx hue. Stretching out his hand, Itachi trapped a passing butterfly. "Let me explain," he said as he opened up his palm, the butterfly remaining in its position. Sakura watched, fear and doubt still in her eyes. "You remind me of my foolish brother because he had always overlooked the importance of family, only to realize it when I killed them all. You seem to not realize how important you are to him, keeping him sane while he continues to tread into more unfamiliar ground each and every day. How do I know this? Simple. I'm his older brother." With that, he crushed the butterfly in his hands, sending it to its doom. "Like this butterfly never realized that life is so beautiful until it felt my fingers crushing down on it."

"You're the epitome of the devil himself," hissed Sakura, her fingers curling even tighter around the knife in her hand. Itachi simply brushed the insult aside, silently bidding Sakura to continue. "You kill your family to what, measure your strength! Sasuke-kun never expected you of all people to do that! He would have grown up a very different person if he found out you were as shocked as he was to find your family dead in your own home! He wouldn't have had to go through all this torment if you didn't kill them!" she shouted, tears brimming and one stray tear falling gently down her face. She heard his reply, 'Would you have loved him anyway if he grew up to be an entirely different person?'. Her heart stopped. She never thought about that. She had always been thinking of how she loved the Sasuke of now, never the possibility of having a different Sasuke. _Sasuke-kun is Sasuke-kun! No one can change that, even if the circumstances are different!_ "Yes, yes I would," she murmured weakly, her tears falling freely. Another smile graced Itachi's face as he leaned down in front of her. Cupping her chin, he forced her to face him.

"A woman worthy to assume the title as Uchiha Matriarch," he murmured, his warm breath dancing across her skin. Sakura found herself blushing as Itachi held her in that position. For a few seconds, his Sharingan whirled wildly, as if about to activate a technique. "I wonder if I killed my younger brother and took you for myself," thought Itachi out loud, the scarlet in his eyes darkening even further. The intensity of Sakura's fear and panic grew even stronger. Another laugh escaped Sakura's lips. "That will probably never happen anyway. I fear your love for him is far too strong that if he dies, you'll kill yourself," he murmured absently, "It's too bad though. A flower's beauty is best seen in the light, not in darkness." Sakura's tears continued to spill. Noticing the stickiness from the salty liquid, a somewhat genuine smile found its way to Itachi's face. "There there, Sakura-san," he murmured as he drew her face nearer to his, "There's nothing to worry about." In an instant, he let go and kissed her. It was nothing passionate nor was it sweet. It was just a meeting of lips. "Think of it as a thank you gift, for keeping my brother alive until now, while he has yet to serve his purpose," said Itachi before vanishing in a flurry of leaves.

"Sakura, I'm back!" shouted Aya, a basket filled with fish in one hand, "Who was the one you were talking to? I heard voices." Focusing on Sakura, Aya noticed that the pink haired Chuunin was shivering. Setting the basket down, the Jounin began walking slowly towards her. "Hey, Sakura, are you alright?" asked Aya worriedly, wrapping an arm around the shivering girl. Sakura's hands were covering her ears as she continued mumbling a string of words. Fear began growing in Aya's heart as she began to recognize the symptoms. Sakura couldn't hear anything she was saying. Sakura was mumbling things about the Uchiha Massacre, as if she knew every single detail when no one outside of the two remaining Uchiha knew about. Her physical shell was here yet her mind wasn't. "Itachi!" she said urgently, rising as she drew out a kunai. She couldn't sense what direction he was coming from but she knew he was there. "Uchiha Itachi, show yourself!" shouted Aya, her amethyst eyes looking everywhere for her.

"Aya-san, please take good care of Sakura-san," said Itachi, looking down at the Jounin. Aya's eyes, wild with anger and determination, looked up to see the still calm Itachi. "And with your assumptions, yes, she's being affected by my Tsukiyomi," informed Itachi, proving the Jounin's fears correct, "It'll take her the rest of the week to get better. It wasn't so harsh that she'd be incapable of completing your goal for this training mission, Aya-san. So, again, please take care of her. She has to continue serving her purpose for my foolish brother until he can serve his purpose for me." With that, he cancelled the effects of the Tsukiyomi. A loud scream escaped from Sakura before she collapsed, unconscious. With all the strength she could muster, Aya shot Itachi a withering glare before rushing to Sakura's side. "Please do take care of her or you will feel my wrath, Aya-san. All of Konoha will," he murmured before completely vanishing from the surrounding area.

**Tsuzuku…**

And hey, what do you know, I'm on time!

I'm assuming you guys are all… ZOMGWTFJUSTHAPPENED! at the end and well, guess what, I am too! I don't know why it ended up like that but it just did.

And, obviously, for all those who stated in their reviews that Itachi was appearing, here's a cookie for getting it right! hands out cookies

Now, here's something you should definitely read.

As my exams are coming in three weeks and my parents are constantly looming over my shoulders to check on what I'm doing… I will be on hiatus for the next three weeks so I can concentrate on my exams. I'm terribly sorry about this but I really need to pass. I just took time off to finish this incredibly important chapter which you were all waiting for.

On a brighter side, guess which fanfic recently hit **three hundred** reviews? This one! Thank you to all who reviewed and helped in making me feel that writing this is worth it! Just twelve more chapters to go for this arc, a couple of weeks in thinking mode than off to PPV:AT!

So stay tuned for the next chapter which will hopefully come after my tests!

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Sixteen – Shitsukentou no Jutsu

**Chapter Preview:** "Listen to me carefully, Sakura," spoke Aya as she began to lecture the younger female. Sakura nodded, fresh energy thrumming through her veins. "This week, you'll be learning a complex Gen Jutsu very few Jounin know. The Godaime-sama herself told me to teach it to you so listen up. This Jutsu is called Shitsukentou no Jutsu. As the name itself states, it's a disorientation technique. The hand seals for this Jutsu are: Hebi, Uma, Usagi, Ryu," explained Aya, displaying the hand seals to Sakura without actually gathering chakra for it. The Chuunin nodded, performing the seals herself after Aya had shown it to her. "This Jutsu is a Dou Jutsu which numbs your opponent's sense of direction. It numbs your opponent's sense of direction in the sense that he or she cannot tell which direction the attack is coming from. If it's coming from the left, it'll be felt from the right. If it's from above, it'll be felt from below."


	16. Shitsukentou no Jutsu

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision**   
Chapter Sixteen – Shitsukentou no Jutsu

It was supposed to be a relatively easy mission. All they had to do was to get to their destination, stay and mingle with the villagers for an hour or so, meet up with the one who actually hired them for the mission, find out the rest of the mission's details and complete it within a week at most. Of course, getting teamed up with the two most argumentative Nin, at least with each other, in the entire world made things a lot more complicated. In fact, pairing them up together without anyone else to help him stay sane almost made him wonder why he had wanted to drag the ass of the one who left them for Orochimaru back to Konoha. An image of his only female student flashed in his mind, cursedly reminding him as to why he had helped out in that mission. Another sigh escaped his masked lips as he moved on, rubbing his throbbing temples to relieve him of his headache.

For possibly the umpteenth time during the mission, he had wanted to stop abruptly, turn around, grab the other two by their collars and literally _drag_ them to their destination. Though this was a B-Rank mission and his two companions could handle themselves pretty well in a B-Rank environment, it was probably impossible for them to get along for a B-Rank mission of any kind. At least, together it seemed impossible. If it was hard enough to get them to finish a _single_ D-Rank mission, what more something where their lives could be at stake? Soon enough, he couldn't take it any longer. He finally stopped abruptly, causing the other two to look at him weirdly, wondering why he had stopped when this was a mission of utter importance.

"Kakashi-sensei, why did you stop?" asked Naruto as he looked back at the currently short-tempered Jounin. Kakashi just smiled forcibly as he jumped onto the next tree branch. The confusion in Naruto's face told him that he couldn't get mad just yet, soon enough, but not just yet. The indifference on Sasuke's face plastered itself in his mind's eye. There was something seriously wrong with that boy. He could at least show some emotion, even curiosity! Even crazed avengers showed some amount of curiosity! "Kakashi-sensei, tell me why you stopped!" badgered Naruto as he moved a bit faster, moving in a pace that was similar to the Jounin's. Sasuke's eyes rolled in annoyance as he continued moving, muttering about how it would have been much better to make this a solo mission. "Kakashi-sensei!" droned Naruto as he continued pestering the Jounin.

"Damn it!" shouted Kakashi as he finally lost his patience on the blonde boy. Stopping once more, Kakashi picked up Naruto by the collar and began to drag him towards their destination. "Sasuke, don't you dare say anything from here to our destination," grumbled Kakashi as Naruto barely managed to make sure that he didn't slam into anything as Kakashi dragged him. The Uchiha wouldn't have agreed more. It's not like he wanted to say anything in the first place. "And you, Naruto, if you say anything, I will personally make sure you suffer from here on out," hissed Kakashi, his lone eye narrowing. Naruto only made a squeaking sound as he kept quiet, just focusing the rest of his energy on making sure he wouldn't slam into anything, at least not painfully. The vice-like grip Kakashi had on his collar seemed to be intent on holding him down.

The Same Day: Sakura and Aya

"Listen to me carefully, Sakura," spoke Aya as she began to lecture the younger female. Sakura nodded, fresh energy thrumming through her veins. "This week, you'll be learning a complex Gen Jutsu very few Jounin know. The Godaime-sama herself told me to teach it to you so you better listen up. This Jutsu is called Shitsukentou no Jutsu. As the name itself states, it's a disorientation technique. The hand seals for this Jutsu are: Hebi, Uma, Usagi, Ryuu," explained Aya, displaying the hand seals to Sakura without actually gathering chakra for it. The Chuunin nodded, performing the seals herself after Aya had shown it to her. "This Jutsu is a Dou Jutsu which numbs your opponent's sense of direction. It numbs your opponent's sense of direction in the sense that he or she cannot tell which direction the attack is coming from. If it's coming from the left, it'll be felt from the right. If it's from above, it'll be felt from below."

"Hebi, Uma, Usagi, Ryuu," murmured Sakura, the images of the hand seals floating through her mind. She wasn't performing the Jutsu which would come later during the training. The analytical part of her mind began to digest the information, a flood of data surfacing as she began to interpret the series of hand seals she had just been given. Fire-based Jutsu always had the Tora hand seal at the end of the series; summoning Jutsu always had the Inu hand seal either as the second or the third in the series and the like. "Aya-sensei, isn't this an extremely complicated Jutsu which very few people know?" asked Sakura, clarifying her understanding of the Gen Jutsu she was trying to learn. A nod came from Aya. A frown decorated the Chuunin's face as she continued analyzing the very little information she had been given about this Jutsu. "Dangerous, isn't it?" she asked as she looked back up at the Jounin.

"Yup, this is an extremely dangerous Gen Jutsu if you screw up even once," said Aya as she ran her fingers through her hair, breaking the tangled strands. Sakura began to bite her lower lip as the Jounin continued to explain the complexity of Shitsukentou no Jutsu. "If you screw up this Gen Jutsu, you could run the risk of you being permanently affected by the Gen Jutsu. You'll never be able to tell where the pain is coming from and you wouldn't know if you were affected by the Gen Jutsu. It shows no distinguishing pain or a sign to the user to show that it was cast incorrectly," continued Aya as she looked at the Chuunin sternly, "Of course you won't be able to get it correctly since you still haven't learnt it. It's performed on a relatively weak scale for a beginner but the better you get on using the Jutsu, the more cautious you have to be about it. But, since you have excellent chakra control and a perfect gauge on how much you have left, I'm pretty confident you wouldn't have such a hard time mastering this technique within a week."

Soon after Aya had spoken, Sakura began to block out all sounds, something which she had mastered even during her Genin days. Seeing that Sakura had begun to work out how to perform the Jutsu, Aya had begun to walk away and train alone. Why waste the entire week watching Sakura practice when she herself could be doing something useful, right? Reaching the river, Aya had begun to perform seals for another Katon Jutsu. Ever since Itachi had appeared, Aya had been in a complete panic. She couldn't stay too far away from the Chuunin, lest Itachi strike again. Sakura, however, had some memories of the experience. All she could remember was that Itachi had appeared; that he had talked to her and that he somewhat thanked her for keeping his brother in check. He had also wanted his brother and Sakura to remain alive until their purpose for him was completed. What that purpose was, exactly, Sakura didn't know.

"Shitsukentou no Jutsu!" shouted Sakura, her eyes widening. In front of her was a rabbit that had been in the direct line of fire of the Gen Jutsu. A few seconds after the Jutsu had been cast; Sakura stood up and walked over to the small forest animal, kneeling before it. "Hello, Usagi-chan," murmured Sakura as she peeked out to look at the furry brown thing. The rabbit thumped its foot on the forest floor, as if replying to the Chuunin. "You're funny," said Sakura with a giggle. Reaching out, she scratched the rather tame animal behind its right ear. The rabbit leaned over to the touch where it thought it came from, the left. A small triumphant grin found its way to Sakura's face. The victim might have been small but at least she had done it pretty well for her first try. Gathering some chakra, Sakura had cancelled the effects of the Jutsu. If it stayed far too long, the effects could very well become permanent. "There you go, Usagi-chan," murmured Sakura as she lifted her fingers from the rabbit's soft brown fur.

Sakura watched the rabbit bound away the minute she had released her fingers from its body. A satisfied smile found its way to her face as she began to look for something else she could use for a target for the Gen Jutsu. Aya had managed to catch that at the corner of her eye, her lips tilting into a slight smile. She was indeed inclined to using Gen Jutsu. Those who weren't inclined took a while to even affect a small animal such as a rabbit. Sakura managed to affect it on her first try. She herself took about a month and a couple of weeks to master the technique. She had always much preferred to drown herself in scrolls of Nin Jutsu and refine her family's unique Tai Jutsu, just like practically every other Nin in Konoha.

Four Days Later: Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto

The mission had surprisingly reached four days. The three Konoha Nin assumed it would have been a simple mission. When they had reached their destination, everyone had backed away from them, as if afraid. Then again, from the mission briefing, it was said that the hired ninjas were attacking the village every night, pillaging and destroying everything they could get their grubby hands on. Their mission was to infiltrate the hideout of the small, but powerful, yakuza that was in the rather urban village and take them down, returning everything that they stole back to the villagers. The yakuza had hired Missing Nin who were mostly B-Rank with the occasional A-Rank ninja which the Jounin would have no trouble dispatching.

"Ramen! Ramen! Ramen!" chanted Naruto as he pointed towards a nearby ramen stall. It wasn't Ichiraku but, for the blonde Chuunin, as long as the ramen tasted good, he didn't care from where it came from. The two other Konoha Nin looked at each other briefly before looking at Naruto, shaking their heads as they began to walk off. "Why not!" whined the hungry Chuunin, hurrying his pace to match that of the other two Nin, "It's not like we're going to do anything for the next couple of hours." Crossing his arms, Naruto displayed the firmness of his resolve to get ramen. When it came to food, Naruto had always been one to decide quickly. Everything else usually took more time on his part.

"We're not going to make a move for the next couple of hours but that doesn't mean we can't spend the time gathering more information," explained Kakashi, scratching the back of his head. Naruto turned his head away, refusing to do anything until he got his ramen. "Fine, fine, get your ramen," said Kakashi in defeat, shooing off the blonde boy. A bright look finally appeared in the fox boy's eyes as he dashed off, about to eat, what most people assumed, was the only thing he did. "Sasuke, you go ahead and gather information. Meet at the inn in an hour and forty-five minutes," mumbled Kakashi under his breath, his lone eye peering out at the Uchiha. With a swift nod, hardly noticeable, Sasuke began walking away, muttering under his breath about how idiotic Naruto was being again, especially after eating lunch barely twenty minutes ago.

"Ne, ne, Kakashi-sensei, where's Sasuke-teme going?" asked Naruto as he drummed his fingers impatiently on the wood, waiting for his ramen. Kakashi smiled knowingly as he let his chin rest on his palm. "Oh, oh okay," said Naruto, understanding the meaning beneath that smile. Naruto was a good ninja, although his immaturity was still very obvious. Sasuke and Sakura were maturing at their own pace but their pace was at least faster than Naruto's. Sakura and Sasuke were preparing for the Jounin Exams next year although Sakura's training was much more obvious than the Uchiha's. Kakashi had been hearing hints from Jiraiya that Naruto wouldn't be taking the Jounin Exams next year but perhaps a year or two later. Naruto still had a lot of his childishness to shed, though he was a great deal more mature now than when they were twelve, and quite a few techniques to learn before his schedule would become swamped like most Jounin's.

The Last Day: Sakura and Aya

It was already late afternoon. They'd set off back towards Konoha, towards home, the next day. When they arrived, they would have a couple of days off from their usual training regimen and then start back. But, for now, Sakura and Aya were going to have a sparring match. Unlike their other sparring matches, where the one who lost was the one who could no longer continue, the only winner could be Sakura and the only way she could win was to catch Aya in a Shitsukentou no Jutsu. Crouched into their respective fighting stance, both kunoichi held their Crescent Blades, waiting for the other to move. It was an unwritten law to either wait for the opponent to attack or attack together because usually, the first to initiate contact would lose. Suddenly, both moved, both like a blur to the untrained eye.

"Haaaahhh!" shouted Sakura as she slammed her Crescent Blade forcefully into the forest floor, her energy coursing wildly through her bloodstream. Her jade green eyes shone with a slight silver, her reflection mirrored in the metal of the giant blade. A cold shiver ran through her spine as she turned around and bent her body backwards, narrowly avoiding a long kick from the Jounin. Instinctively, the pink haired Chuunin let go of the Crescent Blade and grabbed Aya's ankle, causing the older female to lose her balance and fall with a painful thump to the forest floor. Aya's pupils dilated momentarily as she her muscles went into spasms. "Hebi, Uma, Usa---" chanted Sakura before she noticed that Aya was no longer in front of her.

"Too slow!" shouted Aya as she began descending on top of the Chuunin, her Crescent Blade poised to strike. In a flash, Sakura gathered raw chakra to her fists and slammed them dangerously on the already broken forest floor, sending hundreds of hard chunks of earth flying haphazardly around the air, giving her time to move back. Lifting the large weapon, Aya used the Crescent Blade as a pseudo-shield, the silver crescent sparing her from most of the harsh rainfall of dried earth. The Jounin's amethyst irises moved around quickly, in anticipation for Sakura's next move. Her fingers twitched in annoyance as she waited for a single sign. Sensing something from behind, Aya turned around, her skin illuminated by a bright, orangey glow. It was a 'Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu'. "Shitshitshit!" hissed Aya, moving away quickly though the sole of her left sandal was burnt slightly.

Hiding behind a tree, Aya had started to regain the breath she had lost, her heart still beating in a frenzied panic. A plan had quickly begun to formulate in Aya's mind, her amethyst eyes still searching around for any sign of the younger kunoichi. Flashes of the week that had just passed ran through her mind. Sakura had quickly learned the Gen Jutsu with what seemed to be ease, not extreme but it was ease nonetheless. There wasn't solid proof if she could perform it on a human but that was what this sparring session was for. As soon as the Jounin started breathing relatively normally, she moved behind tree to tree, the two Crescent Blades glistening on where they were jammed into the hard earth.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" shouted Sakura, a large, swirling inferno of fire roaring past the leaves of the trees, burning a stray few, and spiraling towards the Jounin whose skin was coloring orange once more. Aya's lips twitched in annoyance and somewhat surprise as she moved back and to her left side, narrowly avoiding the stream of fire that brushed against the tips of her goldenrod tresses. As Sakura passed by, a couple of light-looking objects fell from her hands, an uncomforting crackling sound trailing after them. The Jounin's eyes widened as she realized what had just happened. Sakura had purposely let her rest so she could prepare this attack. The only thing Aya could do was to prepare herself for the painful impact from the explosion A few moments after the Chuunin had dropped the objects, the objects exploded. As expected, broken limbs of trees, their broken portion sharp with splinters, as well as other objects went flying, the Jounin herself falling down to the ground below.

"Nnnggg," groaned Aya, her vision hazy and blurry as she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Sakura's body, one of her hands outstretched as if offering to help her up. Lifting one of her arms, she let the back of her hand rest against her somewhat warm forehead, shielding her eyes from the slight brightness the uncovered sky was emitting. "Over already?" she mumbled tiredly, swinging up her right hand and accepting Sakura's hand. The Chuunin shrugged carelessly, trying not to give away anything. As soon as Aya sat up straight, Sakura bent down, a warm light wrapping around her hands as she began to heal the scratches that the Jounin had received. Aya's left side twitched. "Be careful with my left, I landed on that sight harder," commented Aya. Smiling softly to herself, Sakura had murmured 'Kai', canceling something out. Amethyst eyes widened as she saw where Sakura's hands were. They were on her right forearm. "Well well, what do you know?" said Aya with a soft grin.

Late the Next Day: Sasuke

They had actually managed to complete the mission on the fifth day. They had busted into the main office of the head of the yakuza and completed the mission. The villagers had been extremely grateful for their work. Naruto was cheerfully saying it was nothing, as always. Kakashi was also saying it wasn't much of a big deal, that it was their job to do missions such as these but not quite as cheerfully as Naruto. Sasuke had just been waiting for them in the background. As usual, a couple of girls had approached him. Their cheeks were stained a deep red because of embarrassment and they had asked for his address to be able to exchange letters and to get to know him more. He had gruffly denied them, turning his head away and leaning on his side. The two girls had left him, disappointment heavy in their system. Today, he had been waiting near the south entrance, hearing from rumors in the Godaime's office most especially, that they were arriving today.

"It was amazing! I never thought the feeling would be this exhilarating, the fact that I learned an advanced Jutsu," chattered a voice excitedly, causing one of Sasuke's ears to perk up in interest. The voice was familiar. Turning his head, his dark onyx eyes gleamed in the afternoon sunlight, darting around as if looking for someone. "Yeah, I know! I'm looking forward to these two days! My body has been hurting tiredly and I've been aching to finally take a proper bath and to just fall asleep on my bed," replied the voice, clearly talking to someone. His fingers twitched in annoyance. He wanted to approach her, drag her to a bit a way away from her companion and interrogate her on her month long experience but that wasn't him. Soon enough, his dark and sharp gaze had met hers. "Sasuke-kun, what are you doing here?" she asked, somewhat surprised, not expecting him at all.

"Is it suddenly a crime to be standing in this very spot, Sakura?" he asked coolly, raising an eyebrow. He wasn't mocking her or insulting her really. Sakura's gaze averted his for a moment before meeting his even look, a soft smile on her face as she shook her head. "I was just passing by here to get some stuff for dinner," defended Sasuke gruffly, sensing that she was still curious as to why he was there. It wasn't like him to stand at any place for no real reason. And anyway, he was going off to buy some groceries, having hardly any ingredients for onigiri back at his place and the market was close by. It was the perfect excuse. Suddenly, the female Chuunin left Aya's side and clung to his arm, dragging him elsewhere. "Wh-where are you taking me?" asked Sasuke incredulously, annoyance in his voice.

"Dinner," said Sakura simply with a grin as she began dragging him. It was through both sheer luck and the fact that he was familiar with the terrain of the place that he didn't bump or trip over anything as he was being dragged backwards. "I've just officially finished my month long training and I want to celebrate with someone," explained Sakura as she continued dragging him awkwardly. She heard Sasuke blubber 'Why me then?' indistinctly as he managed to at least turn around without getting lose from Sakura's iron grip. "Because you're the first one I've seen and I'm hungry already so I don't want to go looking around for someone else to celebrate with," she added with a flourish, still dragging him along, "And you're hungry too. It's my treat so don't worry. Let's to go one of those Korean barbeque places Chouji swears by," said Sakura with a lilting tone, "I've wanted to eat red meat lately since all I've been really eating was fish for the past month."

Where she was, Aya watched Sasuke follow Sakura meekly, as any Uchiha would. Then again, the only sign of an Uchiha being meek, regardless of who it was, was simply to follow the other. They still had a proud and strong look on their faces and their attitudes, even if they couldn't argue their way out of the mess they had just gotten into. Turning around, Aya had begun to whistle a soft and merry tune as she walked towards the Godaime's tower. She had a lot of things to report to Tsunade and the Jounin had a feeling that Tsunade would swell with extreme pride in her protégée for achieving all of that in a month.

**Tsuzuku…**

Okay I feel terrible not being able to update after my exams but I couldn't find any inspiration! I hope I've found it again and yeah. I also hope that this chapter will appease your anger for the time being.

With all my activities, duties as a RO GM in my friends private server (go to temari. for more information), editing manga for a scanlation group known as Storm in Heaven and playing a myriad of video games, I've realized that I can't handle updating in a definite schedule. It won't be like before that I'll try to update every other week but I will still try to do that, that much I can promise.

Anyway, I don't really think that you need much of an explanation for this chapter. The Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi mission there was just to fill in the gaps. It's really a simple and straight-forward mission that was escalated to a B-Rank mission because of the presence of the renegade ninjas.

Again, I'm really really really sorry for the delay and I'll try to update next quicker next time! And, don't worry, I'll be finishing this as well as Past Peripheral Vision: Act Two, sequel to this fanfic, which I might rename.

And now, here's what you've all been waiting for! A chapter preview to the next chapter, chapter seventeen.

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Seventeen – Trials and Retributions

**Chapter Preview:** "Ne, Kyouta-kun, aren't you still amazed by Sakura-sensei? Even though that talk was so long ago, since I met her, my decision to become a Medical Specialist like her and Onee-san has become even stronger!" said Fuuko brightly, her eyes twinkling in delight as she felt the wind blow against her cheeks softly. Her male companion gave a soft grunt as he tightened his fists into a palm, uprooting a few blades of grass as he did so. He was impressed with how far she had gone ever since she became a Genin herself four years ago. He had heard stories that she was never the strongest, nor did she have the most amount of chakra. The only things she could depend on was her immense knowledge and her perfect chakra control. "I wish I could talk to Sakura-sensei again. She seems really nice," said Fuuko wistfully, a sigh escaping her lips.


	17. Trials and Retributions

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Seventeen – Trials and Retributions

"Hyaaah!" shouted a female, the sun beginning to rise, as she charged down towards her opponent, her eyes narrowing as she kept a close watch on the other. The two darted back and forth, moving quickly and attacking once more, each time the weapon on their hand clashed. The slight wind blew past them, a weakened leaf falling every now and then to the dry ground below. Creasing her brow, the girl's hold on her rather battered kunai tightened. For sparring purposes, she didn't like to use the brand new weapons it took forever to get. Neither did her companion so they were pretty much even. Whenever they decided to have a spar, they both used their battered kunai, the wear and tear obvious from use in the Academy. "Get ready Kyouta!" shouted the female as she charged. A couple more dulled kunai were in between the fingers of her right hand, dulled shuriken in between the fingers of her left.

The sun had already risen when the two tired Academy students were lying down on the ground, trying to regain the breath that they had lost. Today was a Saturday which meant there were no classes for them. On days such as those, the pair went around, trying to find a place where they could spar in peace. The older shinobi had taken the better training areas so they chose to rouse when most would prefer to have even half an hour more of extra sleep. Missions, D-Rank or otherwise, took their toll on all of the ninja. The pair had also made a pact ever since they had gotten to know each other better since the special lecture some time before. She had always been better at Tai Jutsu and he had always been better at Nin Jutsu, though they weren't talent-less in the other. Sensing that the female was about to say something, Kyouta opened his steel gray eyes tiredly. "Yeah, Fuuko?"

"Ne, Kyouta-kun, aren't you still amazed by Sakura-sensei? Even though that talk was so long ago, since I met her, my decision to become a Medical Specialist like her and Onee-san has become even stronger!" said Fuuko brightly, her eyes twinkling in delight as she felt the wind blow against her cheeks softly. Her male companion gave a soft grunt as he tightened his fists into a palm, uprooting a few blades of grass as he did so. He was impressed with how far she had gone ever since she became a Genin herself four years ago. He had heard stories that she was never the strongest, nor did she have the most amount of chakra. The only things she could depend on was her immense knowledge and her perfect chakra control. "I wish I could talk to Sakura-sensei again. She seems really nice," said Fuuko wistfully, a sigh escaping her lips.

"Yeah, well, I'm amazed that she's so lucky," muttered Kyouta as he turned on his side, half-closing his eyes. Sometime during the day, Fuuko would always mention Sakura. His classmate was absolutely smitten with what Sakura had achieved. Stories sometimes surfaced about Sakura, her teammates back in her Genin days and about her Jounin instructor, Hatake Kakashi. Her teammates, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, had developed very well and the results were obvious but not so much with Sakura. Since the incident one year ago that involved them especially, Sakura had decided to become the apprentice of the Godaime herself, only to become one of the best Medical Specialists one year later. "I mean, who would have thought, given her background, that she'll become one of the best Medical Specialists of today?" added Kyouta as an afterthought.

A bit a way away, the Chuunin being talked about was walking, whistling a merry tune. The Godaime herself had given her two days off from their training and had even given her the choice of wearing her hitai-ate for the two days or not. Although she wanted to, her parents pleaded with her to let them see her eyes for the next forty-eight hours. Seeing her parents like that, Sakura had given way to her parents' wishes. She had also found it amusing that everyone she knew stared at her, as if seeing her for the first time in years without her hitai-ate. It had only been seven months since her training began. Sakura's ears pricked as she began to hear a rather animated talk from two Academy students. Walking towards the source of the voices, Sakura had decided to spy on what the two students were doing. It wasn't harmful anyway.

"I find it really amazing to become a Medical Specialist," chattered Fuuko excitedly, her crystal blue eyes shining in excitement. Kyouta, sitting upright this time, nodded slowly as he raked his fingers through his dark charcoal locks. He had tightened his grip around the strands of hair, pulling at their roots as he let his fingers glide by. Sometimes, he got tired of hearing the same conversation over and over, wondering if the girl beside him had anything else to talk about. Other times, he wanted to stand up, shake some sense into her and say there were other things to talk about other than becoming a Medical Specialist. He admitted they were pretty amazing but he didn't want to become one. It didn't suit his nature. His steel gray eyes dulled in boredom as he half-listened to Fuuko's banter. "If Sakura-sensei becomes a Jounin next year and we become Genin the year after next, I really hope that I get to be her student," said Fuuko wistfully, her blue eyes glazing. Kyouta nodded slowly, knowing that would be a good thing for her. Silently, he wished he would become her student too. Who knows, maybe she could impart on him some very useful Jutsu.

"Those are binding words you just spoke," said Sakura as she walked out of her hiding place from behind the tree. The two ten year olds jerked their head towards Sakura, their cheeks reddening out of embarrassment. Sakura giggled softly as she sat down on the grass. "Well, I hope I get to become a Jounin next year. Sometimes, I hear Tsunade-shishou or even Kakashi-sensei talking about the application forms for next year's exams and I hear that there are really talented Chuunin who are going to try out to become Jounin for their respective villages," informed Sakura as she pulled her knees closer to her chest, "All the same, I want to try out next year." The two Academy students nodded, still embarrassed that she had heard their conversation. "I'm not doing anything today. If you want, I can help you out on whatever you were training for. It looks like you were," offered Sakura, a grin on her face.

South Konoha Gate

"Thank you for your time, Uchiha-san!" chirped one of the other Chuunin on guard as Sasuke made his way down from the watch tower. The sole Uchiha grunted a reply as he blew away his stubborn hair away from his face. Like every other Nin in the village, even he was required to serve so many shifts guarding one of the four gates of the village. The South Gate was probably the second most turbulent gate in the past few weeks, the much better of the free Chuunin and Jounin often found themselves being stationed there as opposed to the other three. "Uhh… Uchiha-san?" squeaked the same Chuunin as he flipped the papers on the clip board he was holding. Sasuke looked back, a slight gleam of annoyance shining in his eyes. "Your next shift is tomorrow from two in the afternoon to seven in the evening," informed the Chuunin, fear written in his eyes. Sasuke was notorious for paralyzing fellow Nin with just a look.

"Aa," muttered the Uchiha before turning around and pocketing his hands. Looking up, he noticed a couple of birds whizzing past the otherwise unperturbed sky above. Managing to stifle a yawn, Sasuke continued his way towards Ichiraku. He had a sudden craving for ramen. The few villagers who were awake looked up at saw him as he continued walking. Some were frowning, others nonchalant and still others, smiling, though only slightly. He had a mixed reputation in Konoha. Some easily forgave him for his treason; others couldn't find the heart in them to forgive the young boy who would readily give up everything he had ever known for the one thing that corrupted the heart and mind, power. Others were in between both forgiving and despising him. "They should mind their own lives," mumbled Sasuke as his onyx eyes gleamed with annoyance once more, ignoring the looks that he was getting.

The rest of the rather short walk was uneventful. The rare breath of wind blew past and a leaf, every now and then, would fall from the trees and the bushes, landing in his path as his foot crushed against the brittle leaves mercilessly. The sun had begun to beat down on the busy and somewhat bustling village of Konoha with each step that he took. Suddenly, he stopped. He could hear kunai and shuriken landing with a heavy thud on their mark and chakra burning in the air. He could hear voices as well, the voice of a young boy, a young girl and, surprisingly, her voice as well. Wheeling around, he began walking towards the source of the sound, ignoring the slight rumble of his stomach. It's not like he hadn't experienced skipping breakfast and lunch before. Or even if he didn't, he had barely anything to fill his stomach up, possibly just a bite of leftover fish or rations. Spying a tree, Sasuke hid behind it, peering out occasionally to see what they were doing. Mostly, he was leaning against it, deciding it was safer for his presence to be unknown.

"See," said Sakura as she knelt down and punched the ground weakly. The small amount of chakra she concentrated on her fist was enough to shatter the ground. The shattered ground wasn't so large an area but it was enough to stare and gape at. Such a weak punch had delivered such a devastating blow. "The trick to do that is to gather your chakra at your fist and the moment your fist makes contact with whatever target you have in mind, release the chakra. It doesn't have to be a lot, nor does your punch have to be all that strong. What matters is that your release of chakra is correctly timed," explained Sakura as she drew stick figure diagrams on the sandy ground nearby with a sturdy twig. The two Academy students nodded, trying to understand what she just did. A soft laugh escaped Sakura as she watched the two analyze and interpret what she had just said.

"So, first step is to mold chakra and then gather it towards your fist, right?" asked Kyouta, clarifying if he got that piece of information correctly. The Chuunin nodded, her green eyes shining slightly. Kyouta bent his head slightly as he closed his eyes, concentrating on molding chakra and putting it where he needed it most, in his fist. After a few moments, Kyouta finally opened his eyes and slammed his fist into the ground. A few cracks managed to appear but it was nothing close to what Sakura had just done. It looked more or less like a patch of extremely parched land. A frown found its way to Kyouta's face as he stared at the result. A hand patted his head, fingers weaving in between the strands of dark locks. "Sa-Sakura-sensei?" asked Kyouta, unsure of what she was doing.

"That was a pretty good try for your first. When I first did that four years ago, I could barely get a scratch down on the ground," said Sakura, a reassuring smile on her face. The young boy's pride swelled with that compliment, a light blush appearing on his cheeks. _'He may remind me of Sasuke-kun but he didn't have a past as dark as his and he's still such an innocent boy…'_ thought Sakura as she released her hold on his head. The slight blush remained in his cheeks as he patted his right hand slightly, as if trying to remove the pain that way. "Now, Fuuko-chan, why don't you try?" spoke Sakura, facing the plum haired girl, the same reassuring grin on her face. Fuuko reddened visibly, stammering her reply. _'Never knew I had this kind of effect on Academy students… I'd always thought that they'd react this way to either Naruto or Sasuke-kun but never to me…'_

Gathering chakra just like Kyouta, Fuuko unconsciously closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Sakura's interested jade eyes kept an eye on Fuuko, watching the younger girl's every move. Kyouta glanced at his classmate sideways, somewhat sure that she wouldn't do much better than he did. She might have more accuracy in controlling her chakra but they were basically of the same caliber everywhere else. A few moments later, Fuuko opened her eyes and slammed into the ground. A resounding crack reverberated through the otherwise quiet surroundings. When the dust had cleared out, a crack similar to what Kyouta made earlier was seen. Fuuko's shoulders sagged slightly, mostly in disappointment.

"Really, don't worry about it. I don't expect you guys to get it anyway this young," said Sakura as she stood up, "It was a nice shot anyway. It might be a bit too advanced for you, for now. Maybe when you're older I'll be able to teach it to you." The two Academy students nodded, their expressions still sullen. Looking back, Sakura smiled slightly. Fuuko and Kyouta looked at each other, wondering why she was smiling at a tree. "Sasuke-kun, I know you're there," she spoke as her jade eyes sent out a piercing gaze. An involuntary shudder ran through Sasuke's spine as he unwillingly stepped out from behind his hiding place. "What were you doing there? Don't tell me you were just passing by. That excuse is too old," said Sakura, her eyes softening slightly. Sasuke shrugged carelessly as he walked towards the other three. Fuuko waved shyly, a greeting and no more. Kyouta averted his gaze. "Well, explain yourself Uchiha!" said Sakura with slight vigor, pointing at her former teammate.

"Just came back from my shift at the South Gate and I really was passing by until I heard you training these two," explained Sasuke without any effort to hide the truth. Sakura raised her eyebrow in disbelief. "Ask them if you don't believe me," muttered Sasuke gruffly, turning his head away as he pocketed his hands. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, Sasuke stood in their midst in eerie silence. Kyouta looked as if he wanted to ask Sasuke something but refrained from doing so, Fuuko was impatiently waiting for the next training and Sakura had nothing else to say. Looking at the other boy, Sasuke read his question in mind. "Yes, I do have the Sharingan. It isn't dead yet," said Sasuke, almost drawled it really. Kyouta's eyes brightened considerably at hearing that. Closing his eyes, Sasuke concentrated chakra onto his pupils, forcing the fearsome bloodline to rise. Sakura flinched when she saw that. She still had nightmares about that day in the forest.

Forest: Four O'Clock in the Afternoon

Fingers twitched slightly in annoyance. He didn't know how he was convinced but he was. He had at least managed to tell them that he wanted to eat breakfast first and they complied. Then again, the three of them hadn't had a lot of breakfast either. The Uchiha was fairly impressed with the way Kyouta and Fuuko were developing as ninjas, their styles strikingly similar to that of Team Seven. Now, all they were missing was a bungling moron who, underneath the idiocy, was a pretty good ninja, if he was really into the role. Surprisingly, there were very few awkward moments between himself and the other Chuunin, their time mostly divided to instructing the other two Academy students what to do next. For some reason, he felt at ease even if he was missing one day's training. At the back of his mind, he felt like he deserved a break, no matter how rare it was.

Kyouta found himself lying on his stomach, his arms barely managing to support his weight. His vision blurred every now and then as he continued panting. He hadn't expected to be able to spar with Uchiha Sasuke himself, surprised that Sakura had been able to force Sasuke to come with them at all. Fuuko was training with Sakura for most of the day, seeing as his fellow Academy student had expressed her desires to become a Medical Specialist, causing Sakura to divert most of her attention towards the plum haired student. He didn't know if he had impressed the Uchiha or not but he had hoped that he did. It was a difficult thing to get Sasuke's respect. Even majority of the Jounin simply existed in Sasuke's eyes, even his own Jounin instructor. The Godaime obviously had it, as she was the Hokage but if she weren't, it would have most likely been a story. As his vision finally settled, he noticed that Sasuke opened his mouth to speak.

"You've got potential, that's a fact," said Sasuke slowly as he walked towards the Academy student. Kyouta found his cheeks burning in both embarrassment and awe. It was even harder to get a compliment from the Uchiha. The Godaime herself never got any compliments from Sasuke but only the barest of thanks when it was the appropriate time. "You're ten, right kid?" asked Sasuke, his gaze focused sideways as he watched Sakura talk to Fuuko about, most probably something to do with Medical Jutsu. Kyouta nodded slowly, wondering why he was asking such a question. "In two years, if you're going to pass the test and become a Genin, I'll acknowledge you as someone who holds the same potential as I did when I graduated," responded Sasuke as he looked back at Kyouta. He didn't know why he was feeling this way but somehow, he saw himself in Kyouta, minus the dark and distorted past.

"Sasuke-kun, it's time to go!" shouted Sakura as she waved her hands in the air. The Uchiha looked behind him then back at Kyouta before finally turning around and walking towards his former teammate. Today was an unexpectedly good day, one of the few days that actually didn't end up with him being irritated. "What was that all about?" asked Sakura when Sasuke had finally reached her side. He shrugged carelessly as he pocketed his hands, his gait relaxed. The Chuunin kunoichi smiled slightly as she looked forward, her hands swinging rhythmically. The two Academy students kept their gazes on the two Chuunin as they continued walking. On impulse, Sakura had pecked his cheek and started running girlishly away from Sasuke. "Think of it as thanks for training Kyouta-kun today," explained Sakura as she waved her hand before running off, "See you tomorrow, Sasuke-kun!" With that, she turned around and left.

"What the—" muttered Sasuke as his hand unconsciously touched the cheek where her lips had landed. A sudden shiver ran through his spine as he remembered the sensation of her soft lips on his rough cheeks. Shaking off the feeling, the usual frown went back to his face. Looking up, he saw a vaguely familiar figure waving cheerfully at him, a smile on the figure's face. Squinting his eyes and shielding it from the bright sunlight, Sasuke managed to make out who the figure was. "Oh great," groaned the Uchiha as he smacked his forehead. The figure fled with what looked like an evil grin on. "That was Kakashi," he muttered as his shoulders sagged, "I'll kill him if he says anything about it."

**Tsuzuku…**

Okay, more or less one week later, I've finished writing chapter seventeen and what a relief it's been. Nine more chapters until PPV comes to an end and its sequel will start.

For some deranged reason, I've got the urge to start writing the sequel, since, with what's left of PPV won't make such a major difference in the plotline of PPV:AT. And even if it did, there would've been notes about it in my master document that has everything to do with PPV and PPV:AT, from chapter titles and summaries to the characters in the stories.

Anyway, I originally didn't plan on Sasuke appearing but, since he did, he did. The reason he's unexpectedly nice, sort of, towards Kyouta because Kyouta really does have Sasuke's attitude and potential. It just happens to be that Kyouta doesn't have a mentally unstable brother who decided to kill his entire Clan for the sake of measuring his strength. Sasuke… did.

The part about Sakura remembering that day in the forest? Refer to **Chapter Fifteen – Kaleidoscope** for more details. I don't think I need to explain that much.

And now, I hope I'll be able to update next week since October 22 – November 6 is my sem break. Look forward to more chapters and no, I won't post PPV:AT until I finish PPV.

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Eighteen – Kuchiyose no Jutsu

**Chapter Preview:** "Even if you've made a contract with the slugs, it doesn't mean that you've had much practice in summoning them," explained Tsunade as the wind blew past them, the grass in the field rustling against each other. Lifting her thumb to her lips, Tsunade bit it, blood seeping through. _O-hitsuji, Saru, Inu, Tori._ Placing her hand on the ground, symbols had automatically begun to spread out into a circular form. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" shouted Tsunade as smoke began to appear. A slight smirk found its way to Tsunade's face the moment the smoke cleared. "Sakura, meet Katsue," introduced Tsunade, motioning towards the slug, "Katsue, meet Sakura." The slug moved its antennae in greeting, bowing its head slightly. Sakura waved her hand, a little nervous at the sight of the giant slug. "Sakura, your goal for this month is to be able to summon Katsue, one of the biggest slugs and a direct daughter of the Slug King, Katsuyu. Summoning him will be for another time," instructed Tsunade as she waved her hand in the air. With a nod, the slug bowed and disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Hopefully, you will see her again soon."


	18. Kuchiyose no Jutsu

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Eighteen – Kuchiyose no Jutsu

Weaving her fingers expertly, Sakura tied the final knot for her hitai-ate. Running her fingers against the cold metal, a somewhat satisfied smile found its way to her face. Tucking a stray strand behind her ear, Sakura exhaled a breath. Checking for creases, Sakura inspected the condition of her clothes. The night before, she had made sure that she had everything ready for today. It was a rare occasion to be able to train personally with the Godaime and today was one of those days. She had signed a contract long before but never really had the opportunity to practice. She could do it to a limited extent but not by very much that it would be a useful Jutsu to know during battle. Although she wouldn't use it as often as compared to other Jutsu, it was advantageous to know it this early in her career as a kunoichi. With one final check, Sakura made sure she was ready. As she made her way out of her room, her fingers brushed against the note she had received the night before.

_Sakura,_

_Tomorrow, meet me in my office the same time you meet Aya for her regular training with her. Just bring the scroll that I had asked you to keep since that time. You don't need to bring extra kunai, shuriken, or your Crescent Blade._

_Sakura, you don't need to wear your hitai-ate as a blindfold anymore. Your progress for the past seven months is enough. For the remaining five months, your training will consist of learning things that require your eyesight. I did not foresee this when you first began your training but seven months blindfolded will suffice. The blind training has served its purpose._

"Sakura, your eyes!" said her mother, surprised, as the Chuunin entered. Blinking, Sakura focused her green gaze towards the older woman. The Chuunin greeted her mother with a smile. "Aren't you going to wear your hitai-ate?" she asked, slight worry obvious in both her eyes and her voice. Sakura shook her head, humming a soft tune, as she picked out the bowl of chilled fruits she had placed there the night before. "Oh, oh okay," said her mother, her tense shoulders relaxing, a smile appearing on her face. Turning around, she resumed her earlier task of washing the dishes. "You are still going to train today, right?" she asked as she let warm water run over the wet ceramic. Sakura made a reply of affirmation as she popped another fruit into her mouth. "With Aya-san or with Godaime-sama?" she asked again.

"Tsunade-shishou is going to train me today. I'm not really sure for the rest of the month but I think she'll at least oversee it personally," informed Sakura quietly, picking up another fruit piece. She could see cold air rising from the fruit as she stared at it before popping it into her mouth. Her mother looked back at her, a curious expression on her face. "I'm really not sure but I might be focusing on practicing Kuchiyose no Jutsu," said Sakura with a rueful smile on her face, "I mean, Tsunade-shishou did ask me to bring that to her today." As she spoke, Sakura jerked her head to the direction of the scroll that was leaning against the wall. A slight look of confusion crossed her mother's face, the water still running against the dishes. "It's one of the many scrolls here in Konoha you use to contract an animal race," explained Sakura as she set down the fruit bowl, empty of its contents, "Naruto and Jiraiya-sama have a contract with frogs, like Yondaime-sama, Kakashi-sensei has a contract with dogs, and Sasuke-kun has a contract with snakes. Like Godaime-sama, I have a contract with the slugs."

"S-slugs?" murmured her mother, her eyes widening in disbelief. Sakura nodded once more as she stood up, stretching her arms. Her shirt rose slightly, a tiny portion of her stomach peeking out. "A-are you s-sure a-about that, S-Sakura? Why s-slugs?" stammered her mother, her skin paling. Sakura knew her mother had a fear of slugs ever since she was small. Apparently her brother had once left her in a dark room with a quite a number of slugs in it, as a joke. In the end, her mother had gotten traumatized and her uncle had received a fairly painful punishment for doing that. Smiling, Sakura made a motion to reassure her mother that these slugs wouldn't attack anyone who was not, in any way, attacking Konoha or the person who summoned them. "O-okay t-then. T-take care," said her mother weakly, color returning to her face. With another smile, Sakura picked up the scroll and left her house. She had twenty minutes to get to the Godaime's office. It was more than enough time.

"Sa-ku-ra!" said a familiar voice, the figure squatting on top of a large pole. The named kunoichi looked up, wondering who called her. Smiling she waved hello, or what looked to be an attempt to wave. In a swift motion, he jumped down and stretched his legs a little, slightly sore from squatting for a while. "Need any help?" he asked, his lone eye catching the sight of her carrying a huge scroll. A grateful smile appeared on Sakura's face as she handed him the large scroll. "Ah, a contract," he said as his calloused fingers ran against the scroll's body, "I remember the first time I signed a contract. Sensei was so disappointed I didn't contract myself to the frogs. But, then, he understood why I didn't anyway, after I told him the reason why." A cryptic smile found its way to his face as he turned his head towards Sakura. "Could you guess why, Sakura?" he asked as they continued to walk along. The Chuunin thought hard but came up with no answer. "I joined the ANBU. It's a lot more strategic for me to have a contract with an animal race that could help me track down my targets, as opposed to frogs, logically speaking," he said, shifting the position of the scroll on his shoulder.

"That's right, Kakashi-sensei used to be an ANBU Captain," said Sakura softly, her jade eyes glazing over. Silence reigned between them both; the only sound was the occasional breath of wind that chose to pass by. Opening her mouth, Sakura looked as if she was going to ask a question. However, she decided against it. Kakashi looked at her, elbowing her slightly as if prodding the Chuunin to go on. "You have to take a test to become part of the ANBU, right?" Kakashi nodded, his eye narrowing. Sakura didn't look to be like someone who would make it to the ANBU, or even if she did, she wasn't psychologically prepared to handle the strain of an ANBU. Very few people lasted very long in the ANBU. Most of them stayed there for at most a decade before going back to be an ordinary Jounin. "Haha, no, I'm not planning to become an ANBU. Becoming a Jounin is enough for me," reassured Sakura, sensing Kakashi's apprehension.

"Then why did you ask?" questioned Kakashi, shifting the scroll once more. Sakura shrugged carelessly. She had a feeling he already knew. Suddenly, realization dawned upon him. "Oh, it's about him isn't it?" he asked though in the back of his mind, he already knew it as a fact. He just needed someone else's opinion on this. Sakura nodded as she continued walking along, her hands behind her back. "This is Tsunade-sama's scroll, right? Or, at least, the scroll under her protection for the time being," spoke Kakashi, eyeing the large bundle he had with him. Again, Sakura nodded. "You know, you're really growing up to be another Tsunade-sama. Both gifted in the Medical Arts, both having that amazing strength and both having the same attitude, among other similarities," noted Kakashi, a smile beneath his mask. Sakura blushed, her head bent down. It wasn't very often she received a casual compliment like that from anyone. "It's a good thing, Sakura! It doesn't hurt to have more than one Tsunade-sama in Konoha," he stated in mock defense. The blush on her cheeks only reddened. "Well… as long as the others similar to Tsunade-sama don't have a penchant for gambling…" he added with a quip.

The rest of the trip was a pretty quiet journey. She didn't even notice that she was already inside the building, the giant scroll in her arms, when she had snapped out of her reverie. Kakashi had long departed her presence, reasoning that he was about to depart for a mission when he had suddenly seen her leave her house. It wasn't a big deal waiting for her and helping her out. He wasn't on such a rush anyway. It was a minor mission, after all. As she made her way towards Tsunade's office, quite a number of Chuunin had greeted her, polite in their language. A couple of the Jounin who were there had even offered to help her carry the scroll to Tsunade's office, their language somewhat polite. Everyone who worked there directly had come to be affectionate towards her, at least the ones who were older than herself. Soon enough, she found herself in front of the office.

With a soft gulp, Sakura had knocked on the door of Tsunade's office, her left hand balancing the scroll. For some reason, she found herself nervous, even if she had no reason to be. She had been doing this for the past four years anyway. After hearing a distinct 'Come in!' from within, Sakura pushed the door open, the scroll in her arms like a giant teddy bear. "Tsunade-shishou," whispered Sakura as she kicked the door close with the heel of her foot, "I brought the scroll." Looking up, the Godaime motioned for Sakura to sit down first at the couch as she finished signing a couple more documents. Behind her, Shizune was hawking her every move. "Ah, Shizune-san, good morning," greeted Sakura as she waved towards the Jounin. For a few moments, a look of ease found its way to her face before the usual worrisome expression reappeared.

"Sakura, leave the scroll with Shizune and we'll go to a different training area after this. I've arranged for all the important documents to be signed by Shizune as my proxy," instructed Tsunade, aimlessly pointing behind her as she motioned towards Shizune. Nodding, Sakura stood up, the scroll sliding down against its rest. Shizune had left her normal post behind Tsunade and assisted Sakura in keeping the scroll aside. In the room were three kunoichi contracted to the slugs. Sakura's name was in the most recently filled up spot, her blood already dry since that time. Beside her name was Shizune's and before that, Tsunade's. "Shizune, I'll be guiding Sakura today and for the rest of the month, you'll watch over her, alright?" instructed Tsunade, standing up and wearing her normal coat over her clothes. Her Jounin assistant nodded as she fixed up the last of the papers. "I would have asked Aya but she doesn't have a contract with the slugs. It's better for someone who has a contract with the same animal as you do to watch over your training for this month. Next month, Aya will oversee your training once more," informed the Godaime as she began to walk out of her office. Quietly, Sakura followed her master to their training grounds.

The Training Area

"Even if you've made a contract with the slugs, it doesn't mean that you've had much practice in summoning them," explained Tsunade as the wind blew past them, the grass in the field rustling against each other. Lifting her thumb to her lips, Tsunade bit it, blood seeping through. _O-hitsuji, Saru, Inu, Tori._ Placing her hand on the ground, symbols had automatically begun to spread out into a circular form. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" shouted Tsunade as smoke began to appear. A slight smirk found its way to Tsunade's face the moment the smoke cleared. "Sakura, meet Katsue," introduced Tsunade, motioning towards the slug, "Katsue, meet Sakura." The slug moved its antennae in greeting, bowing its head slightly. Sakura waved her hand, a little nervous at the sight of the giant slug. "Sakura, your goal for this month is to be able to summon Katsue, one of the biggest slugs and a direct daughter of the Slug King, Katsuyu. Summoning him will be for another time," instructed Tsunade as she waved her hand in the air. With a nod, the slug bowed and disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Hopefully, you will see her again soon."

"O-hitsuji, Saru, Inu, Tori," murmured Sakura, forming the appropriate hand seal as she murmured the name. She only did that when she wasn't used to the Jutsu just yet. It also helped her remember what the order of the seals was. Looking up at Tsunade, she received a slow nod of confirmation. Lifting her thumb to her lips, she felt her teeth dig into the skin, piercing it. A slight sting of pain rushed through, cold air brushing against the small wound. "O-hitsuji, Saru, Inu, Tori," she murmured once more, performing the same hand seals. Spreading her right hand down on the ground, Sakura watched as her chakra rushed to her finger tips, a circle with runes appearing beneath her palm. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" As she lifted her hand, Sakura watched in anticipation, hoping that what she summoned was of a fairly reasonable size. As soon as the smoke dissipated, her heart sank. On the ground was a small slug, no bigger than two fingers and no longer than her index finger.

"It's alright. Even Shizune and I started out like that," said Tsunade, trying to encourage the younger girl. Looking around, Tsunade made sure that they were alone. "Here, if it's any consolation and most likely it is, Naruto couldn't even summon a frog the first time he tried. It was hardly much more than a tadpole really," spoke Tsunade as she ruffled Sakura's hair, "At least your first summon is more or less a garden slug, right?" Sakura's cheeks reddened slightly as she broke into a grin. "Now go on, continue your practicing!" instructed Tsunade as she turned around and began walking towards a tree, "I'll be working on some things under the tree. If you can summon anything bigger than that, call me." Sakura nodded as she waved goodbye to the small slug, understanding the motion. With a small pop, it disappeared.

For the rest of the day, Sakura continued summoning slugs, taking an occasional break in between to recover. Practicing summoning was extremely draining, the Jutsu itself using up a little more chakra than the normal Jutsu. Sakura had managed to summon a slightly bigger slug, as long as her entire palm and reaching just a little bit of her fingers. A small swell of pride gushed within her as she watched the small animal scurry about, twitching its antennae every time it moved. Tsunade was standing right behind her, a small smile on her face. Sakura really was a talented kunoichi, though it was most likely because of her psychological immaturity that it was only now that her talents were really flourishing. That and the way she was being trained was probably geared towards Nin Jutsu and Tai Jutsu, too generic a training style when there were always chances of a shinobi being geared elsewhere. The slug, noticing it wasn't needed, disappeared with a tiny pop.

"Sakura, tomorrow, Shizune will meet you outside of the tower for the rest of your training. I'm sure by the end of the month, or maybe even a little earlier, you'll be able to summon Katsue," said Tsunade, the wind blowing the few stray strands of hair away from her face. The Chuunin nodded as she looked up at the Godaime, a slight note of satisfaction on her face. "Today was a pretty good first try, considering you really haven't done much with the Kuchiyose no Jutsu except sign a contract with the slugs," continued Tsunade, stretching out a hand to help up the squatted Sakura. Staying in any position for so long usually ended up with the person getting cramps. The Godaime was certain Sakura would be getting cramps any time soon. "When you're done here, you can already head home, or to wherever you want to go afterwards. Same time tomorrow," instructed Tsunade. Another nod came from Sakura as she bowed slightly in respect. With a small wave, Tsunade began to walk back to her office, most likely going to be greeted by a frantic Shizune.

Looking at the sun, Sakura made a rough estimate of the time. She was already twenty or so minutes late and if she ran quickly, she'd be there in about ten. Taking a deep breath, Sakura had begun moving. They'd most likely understand anyway, if she explained why she was late. Or, they could guess for themselves. Either way, she'd hope she didn't hassle either of them. The busy late afternoon atmosphere in Konoha had begun to settle down as she moved quickly on the streets, careful to avoid anyone who looked to be finishing the last few moments of their working hours. The stalls around were starting to close, save the few dining stalls that would be open for another couple of hours. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she came to a sudden halt, a bright orange-clad figure standing beside the most famous stall of all, Ichiraku Ramen.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!" shouted Naruto, his hands waving wildly in the air. A slight giggle escaped Sakura as she waved her hand in return before speeding up slightly to meet the blonde boy. A familiar face poked out from the stand, a disgruntled look written on his visage as he narrowed his eyes slightly. "What took you so long? Sasuke-teme and I have been waiting for thirty minutes now!" asked Naruto, his ocean blue eyes expressing his curiosity. Narrowing his eyes, he noticed subtle marks on her thumb and that her right hand had been shaking. Realization dawned upon him as he remembered the symptoms. "Ah! You've been training the Kuchiyose no Jutsu haven't you, Sakura-chan?" asked Naruto frantically as he grabbed her hand, panicking somewhat, "With what race? I'm with the frogs and Sasuke-teme is with the snakes…"

"With the slugs," said Sakura as she shook off Naruto's grasp on her hand, "And I'm fine, really. Would you think that Tsunade-shishou would just leave me there if she didn't think I was fine?" Naruto laughed sheepishly as he stepped aside, letting the sole female Chuunin inside the modest stall. "Beef Ramen for me!" ordered Sakura as she sat down on a seat to Sasuke's left. Naruto would probably sit beside her rather than sitting beside his fated rival. It was always like that for them anyway. "Naruto, it's your treat! You're the one who invited us to this after all," said Sakura amiably, facing the blonde boy with a wide grin on his face. Naruto stared, his eyes bulging slightly as he had begun to complain. "Nope, doesn't work for me! How about you, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, facing the ever stoic Uchiha.

"Hmph," he mumbled, turning his gaze away. Sakura shrugged it off and took no notice, continuing her chatter with the blonde Chuunin. It was always like that, even during their Genin days except even Kakashi would eat with them then silently slip off, pointing towards Naruto to the owner, telling him that Naruto would pay for his meal. Facing straight, Sasuke managed to tilt his gaze sideways and observe Sakura. She had indeed worked herself out today, her right hand still shaking, although much less. The small wounds on her thumb had already become scabs. It would heal soon enough. Without much of a reaction, he had realized something. The three of them had the exact same summons as the Legendary Sannin and were trained somewhat to be like them. And funny how the day they became a Genin Team four years ago, was the exact same day that the Sannin became a Genin Team themselves.

**Tsuzuku…**

…Actually, no, I'm not sure but I just wanted to add that for the effect XD! No one ever really knows when they became a team I think, unless people pay attention to tiny details like that… Ehe…

It's a little over two weeks since I last updated and I hope you liked this chapter! Eight more chapters to go before a tiny break and up comes PPV:AT! Hooray for that.

Maybe, I'll update PPV with chapter nineteen this week but don't get your hopes up. I've got some other dedications outside of writing as well!

…I actually don't have a lot to say except thank you for all the reviews! I never really expected this story to get beyond a hundred, if at all it even got to a hundred. Now, it's getting closer to four hundred! Thanks for all your support!

And now, I leave you with the chapter preview to chapter nineteen!

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Nineteen – Summoned Katsue

**Chapter Preview:** Sakura breathed heavily, trying to regain all the lost air. The smoke was starting to dissipate as she crouched down. The eyes of the Jounin with her widened in both surprise and elation as the smoke cleared enough for her to see who was summoned. Looking up, the jade eyes of the Chuunin registered that a slug was summoned but didn't really note who. Twitching its antennae, the slug looked down at the Jounin, bowing its head slightly. Shizune waved hello before pointing towards Sakura to the slug. Turning its head, the slug looked at Sakura who was staring in awe at its size. Clearly, she hadn't summoned slugs as big as this one just yet. "Sakura-san, we met a month before. I'm Katsue, the one Tsunade-sama had assigned for you to summon in one month," introduced the slug, "Congratulations."


	19. Summoned Katsue

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Nineteen – Summoned Katsue

Shizune leaned back against the trunk of the tree, her dark optics watching Sakura's every move. It was pretty early when they started training. Before they parted ways the day before, Sakura had pleaded with her to start an hour early. Today was the last day of the month the Godaime had given her to be able to summon Katsue and she did not want to disappoint. Looking up at the slowly brightening sky, Shizune had begun contemplating on some facts she had learned about the Chuunin in front of her. She was the fourth to have been able to see Sakura's growth as a kunoichi after her Academy years.

Umino Iruka had seen to development of the basic skills every ninja should have. Sakura had learned much from those years, earning the discipline needed to be a good shinobi and perfecting all the basics that was learned through the years. Hatake Kakashi, the first Jounin to watch Sakura grow up, had instilled in her a sense of duty, teamwork and friendship. Though he had helped further her knowledge as a ninja, without those three values, the knowledge was all for naught. The Godaime herself had been approached by Sakura. Since then, Sakura had grown to become similar to the Godaime in talent, mind and strength. Mikizuki Aya had stepped in, refining everything that the Godaime taught her and adding to her repertoire of attacks, jutsu and strategies. She had been watching Sakura try and perfect the Kuchiyose no Jutsu, something the Godaime was too busy to do and something the others could not watch over. They weren't bound to the Slug race after all.

Since the training had begun, Sakura had continuously improved in the size of the slugs she was summoning. Those she had been summoning, as of late, were about twelve feet long, impressive for one who was practicing for only a month. However, she was assigned to summon a twenty foot long slug by the name of Katsue. She hated admitting defeat but she hated disappointing even more so. By admitting defeat for this particular task, she would inevitably disappoint the Godaime. Shizune herself had, at times, consoled Sakura. For the past couple of days, she was consistently summoning slugs with an average size of twelve feet. But, that was eight feet short of what she was assigned to summon.

Beyond the trees, a pair of sharp onyx eyes watched as the slug she had just summoned disappeared in a pop. She'd have to stop and rest in a few moments. He could see it in her form, how haggard she was from all that chakra usage. From this distance, he couldn't see her fingers clearly but he had an assumption on how they looked like. Her thumb was probably nicked in so many places already, a couple of them deep enough to form scars. Her fingers would probably be twitching in pain. Dealing with so much chakra in a particular area of a shinobi's body was painful for a lot of people. He vaguely remembered Naruto's story on how he mastered the Rasengan, his entire right hand shaking from the sheer amount of chakra he had used in practicing that technique. He himself remembered the pain when he himself was learning the Kuchiyose no Jutsu. Looking at his right hand, he saw a few of his thumb's faded scars, triggering memories he'd prefer not to surface.

Flashback: Three Years Ago

"_Sasuke-sama, concentrate," spoke a voice, the words ringing through the mind of the thirteen year old Missing Nin. His glasses glistened in the dim light as his fingers adjusted them. It was impressive that this boy would go as far as betraying his village in order to kill the last living man who carried his blood._

"_Kabuto, shut up," hissed Sasuke, his right arm hanging limp from the pain. It had been almost a month since he had started practicing the Kuchiyose no Jutsu. He had been vaguely impressed when he had seen Kabuto summon the Snake King, Manda, killing everyone who was trying to infiltrate into Orochimaru's camp. The Snake Sannin had seen Sasuke's impressed face and offered the scroll to him, presenting him with the choice to become a Snake Master himself._

"_My apologies," whispered Kabuto, shrinking back into the shadows. Shying away from the few strips of light that managed to seep through from the blinds, Kabuto watched Sasuke at a distance. Ignoring the silver haired male, Sasuke spread open the wound on his thumb, fresh blood rising at his action._

_O-hitsuji, Saru, Inu, Tori. As the names of the hand seals appeared in his mind, his hands had automatically formed them, the seals tangible for but a few split seconds. Opening his eyes, Sasuke pressed his right hand into the ground, the fresh blood meeting with the dried blood that had caked on the floor. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"_

_Smoke appeared as Sasuke straightened his back. He had already managed to summon one of Manda's strongest sons, a direct son of his at that. As soon as the smoke started to clear, Sasuke felt the tingling and numbing sensation in his right arm grow. He would have to stop. If he pressed this training further, he would be unable to summon for a long time, his arm needing much more rest than usual if so._

"_Tch," grumbled Sasuke, supporting his weakened right arm with his left, as his onyx eyes met with the dulled ochre optics of the snake he had summoned, "It's you again."_

"_Ssorry to disappoint, Ssassuke," hissed the snake, its forked tongue lashing out. Lowering its head, the snake had slowly poked Sasuke's weakened right arm, earning a sharp look from the Uchiha. "Tomorrow, do not ssummon, Ssassuke," hissed the snake in warning, lifting its head slightly, "It'ss much worsse than you think."_

"_Yes, Manden, I know," replied Sasuke gruffly, watching the giant snake's every move. Out of all the snakes Sasuke had summoned so far, Manden was his favorite. Out of all those who had summoned him before, Sasuke was Manden's favorite. Regardless if Orochimaru or Kabuto had summoned him to fight against Sasuke, he would turn his back on them and fight for the Uchiha._

_Manda hadn't really noticed Manden's strength, often looking in the direction of his snake brethren, much like Sasuke's own father. The late Uchiha Patriarch looked towards Itachi with pride and towards Sasuke as if it was just according to the flow of the world for him to exist. The similarities of their pasts just made them connect on a level only they could understand._

"_Tell Manda that one day, I will summon him with my own strength," said Sasuke, letting his left hand rest on top of Manden's scaly head._

"_Yess, Ssassuke," hissed Manden in reply. Lifting his great head, Manden looked towards Kabuto, his forked tongue lashing out rhythmically. "Anger Ssassuke in any way, Kabuto, I will be the next ssnake you ssummon and you will pay," it hissed, anger seen in its dull ochre eyes before disappearing with a loud pop. Down below, a smirk graced Sasuke's face. Manden vaguely reminded him of a girl back in Konoha who would risk everything for him, both her life and her heart._

"_You heard the snake, Kabuto," said Sasuke as he turned around and began walking back to his own quarters, "Don't you dare piss me off." Up in the balcony, Kabuto's grip tightened so hard on the glass he had been holding, causing it to break._

End of Flashback

"Sakura, good job, you should rest now," called out Shizune, snapping the Chuunin out from her deep concentration. Her muscles relaxed as she turned to face the Jounin, a cheery smile playing on her lips. "Here you go," said Shizune, handing the Chuunin a towel. She knew how harsh Tsunade could be as a master, undergoing Sakura's days herself long before, but she understood that Tsunade had a reason for everything she put into the training regimen. "Don't worry. I'm sure Tsunade-sama will understand. Summoning twelve foot long slugs is a feat in one month. It usually takes a couple of months to master that," consoled Shizune, a slight smile on her face, "If it's any consolation, it took me a little over a month to get where you're standing now when I was going through the same thing."

From where he was, Sasuke could read the words Shizune had just spoken. He had trained himself to do that long before, memorizing the countless lip movements possible. While he was resting in order to regain his chakra, Sasuke had busied himself with that. With the help of his Sharingan, it was even faster for him to learn it. He deemed it a useful ability, if in case he couldn't hear anything but needed to gather information to help him out. Deep within, he felt a faint gush of pride when he had read Shizune's lips. For some reason, he had automatically assumed Sakura had been better than Shizune. After all, she was Sakura. Those he was teamed up with when he had just become a Genin must have had some inkling of talent to be teamed up with him. Grudgingly, he had to admit Naruto had some.

"Feh, I shouldn't even be here," he mumbled to himself. Turning around on his heel, he began to walk away. He had just gotten a mission from the Godaime, rising as early as four in the morning to answer to her call. He had to leave at 6:30 in the morning in order to get to the next village in time for the opening of the bank his target was aiming for. He had just been passing by when he saw Sakura training feverishly and had decided to stop for the time being. He could spare about ten minutes of his time and it wouldn't make any difference. He was early anyway. "You had better summon that slug you're aiming for, Sakura, or you've just been training for nothing," he whispered to himself as he sped up, "You're trying to prove yourself to me right?"

Noon: At Ichiraku

"Well, at least you've elevated to summoning sixteen-foot long slugs on average, right?" said Shizune optimistically, patting Sakura on her back. The tired Chuunin nodded slowly, her eyes half-closed as she leaned her head against the table. The Jounin smiled slightly, understanding that Sakura was probably too tired to care for conversation. "Miso Ramen for Sakura and the Special Ramen for me," ordered Shizune, as the stall owner finally catered to them. They weren't the only ones in the stall. A couple of fairly new Chuunin were there as well, chattering excitedly. They still weren't used to the thrill and the rush of being appointed Chuunin, the Exams ending only three months prior.

"Yeah, at least," said Sakura quietly, closing her eyes. She hadn't felt this exhausted in ages. Though she was doing the same thing every day for the past month, today, she was exerting more effort than usual. Drumming her fingers lazily against the counter, Sakura waited for her ramen. "Ne, Shizune-san, how long have you known Tsunade-shishou?" asked Sakura suddenly, sitting up straight, as she looked up at the Jounin, her gaze locking evenly with Shizune's. Shizune kept quiet, wondering why Sakura had asked in the first place. As if reading her mind, Sakura had opened her mouth to speak. "I was just wondering, I mean, ever since you've both arrived here four years ago, you were always with Tsunade-shishou," explained Sakura, a rueful grin on her face. Before Shizune was able to reply, however, a familiar pair of Academy students appeared.

"…Sakura-sensei!" said Fuuko in surprise, her crystal blue eyes opening in wonder, "What are you doing here?" A wry grin found itself to Sakura's face as she sat up straight. Looking over Fuuko's shoulders, she noticed that there were people behind her. Behind her to her right was Kyouta, a half-sleepy look on his face as he tried to rub the tiredness away from his eyes. Another male was beside Kyouta, a ripple of curiosity appearing in Sakura's eyes. Shizune looked at them with a slight tone of amusement, Sakura being somewhat popular with the young Academy students. "Ah, Shizune-sama!" said Fuuko suddenly, realizing who was beside Sakura, "Is Ran-nee-san doing well?" Shizune nodded with a smile, waving slightly. Turning her attention back to the Chuunin, Fuuko said, "Ne, Sakura-sensei!"

"Not allowed to have ramen for lunch, am I, Fuuko?" asked Sakura with a laugh. She watched the young girl blush slightly, out of embarrassment. Kyouta yawned loudly, tears escaping from the corner of his eyes. A slight giggle escaped Sakura as she heard the sound. "Kyouta-kun, why don't you sit down? The heat usually makes me sleepy so maybe that's why you are," suggested Sakura, patting on the empty seat beside her. This time, it was Kyouta's turn to blush slightly, as he went inside, sitting on the seat that Sakura had just pointed to. Her ramen had just arrived when Kyouta sat down. Picking out a pair of chopsticks, she began to eat. "I remember seeing you when I went to the Academy for that talk but I don't think I caught your name," said Sakura, swirling her chopsticks in the bowl of steaming hot ramen.

"Fuyuzuki Shuunto," introduced the male, digging his hands deeper into the pockets of his jacket. With a bow, he showed his respect towards the Chuunin, as well as the Jounin, "Fuuko and Kyouta have told me all about you, Sakura-sensei. It's an honor to meet you." Sakura's cheeks colored slightly, a laugh escaping Shizune's lips at his words. A confused look found its way to Shuunto's face, looking at the Jounin for some sort of clarification.

"No one usually says that to Sakura," said Shizune as she set down her bowl of ramen, "Or, at least, not to her face anyway." Realization dawned upon the three Academy students as they nodded. "Listen, don't you all come with us afterwards and see what Sakura's doing. Maybe, it'll be good for you to see variations of techniques that she knows. It could even serve as inspiration for you three to work harder as Academy students," suggested Shizune. At those words, Fuuko, Kyouta, and Shuunto nodded with enthusiasm. Shizune could see Sakura had some sort of effect on the Academy students, or at least on Fuuko and Kyouta as she wasn't very well acquainted with Shuunto.

Late Afternoon

At a distance, Fuuko was cheering Sakura on. The Chuunin felt even more fatigued and exhausted than she usually did, but the antics of the Academy student cheered her up, even a little. A weak smile found its way towards Sakura's face as she nodded. The three Academy students watched in awe, as Sakura had continuously summoned giant slugs. Her determination was seen through the sizes of the slugs she had summoned. She was now constantly summoning eighteen foot long slugs. The three Academy students watched in anticipation as she began to perform the Kuchiyose no Jutsu once more. She could probably only do it one or two more times, given her current condition. Laying her right hand flat on the forest floor, she shouted, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" A large puff of smoke appeared at her words.

Sakura breathed heavily, trying to regain all the lost air. The smoke was starting to dissipate as she crouched down. The eyes of the Jounin with her widened in both surprise and elation as the smoke cleared enough for her to see who was summoned. Looking up, the jade eyes of the Chuunin registered that a slug was summoned but didn't really note who. Twitching its antennae, the slug looked down at the Jounin, bowing its head slightly. Shizune waved hello before pointing towards Sakura to the slug. Turning its head, the slug looked at Sakura who was staring in awe at its size. Clearly, she hadn't summoned slugs as big as this one just yet. "Sakura-san, we met a month before. I'm Katsue, the one Tsunade-sama had assigned for you to summon in one month," introduced the slug, "Congratulations."

"Y-you're not k-kidding, right?" asked Sakura, tears of happiness starting to collect at her eyes. The slug shook its head, forming what everyone else assumed to be a smile. The tears had just started to flow without any warning as Sakura stared up, Katsue's antennae still twitching. "Thank God," she murmured, trying to stop her tears from flowing but failing. Shizune felt a swell of pride rush from within her, watching as Sakura continued to stare up towards Katsue with her wet eyes. She may not have actually helped Sakura advance further, her job for the past month merely watch over Sakura as she practiced the Kuchiyose no Jutsu, but seeing Sakura make an achievement like that was still something in her eyes.

"Ano, why are you chuckling, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Naruto, looking up at the silver haired Jounin beside him. Kakashi looked at the blonde boy beside him with a cryptic smile. "…Kakashi-sensei?" asked Naruto, slightly uneasy.

"No reason, Naruto," said Kakashi as he pocketed his hands, "I just find it funny how you three are so similar to the Legendary Sannin, you to Jiraiya-sama, Sakura to Tsunade-sama, and Sasuke to Orochimaru, to an extent. You even have the same summons as them. What a coincidence, right, Sasuke?" Looking over his right shoulder, Kakashi's lone eye spotted the Uchiha resting on a tree branch, as if he had been watching Sakura since she had continued her training.

"Don't just put me into your conversations, Kakashi," spoke Sasuke as he stood up. The Jounin smiled once more as he watched Sasuke jump down from the branch with ease. "It's really pointless," he added as he began to walk away.

**Tsuzuku…**

…And here is chapter nineteen! I hope you've all liked it.

I was looking at the main documents for PPV and PPV:AT and I've decided something. I'm going to make a third part, making this a trilogy. PPV deals with the training. PPV:AT will deal with the Jounin Exams themselves plus one year after the Jounin Exams. The third part will deal with the rest of their adventure until the end of the story.

I'd like to thank **SunshineandDaisys** for all her wonderful reviews. When I was reading them yesterday, I was happy that someone took the time to write all those meaningful reviews and read each chapter for all its worth. And at her review for chapter eighteen, she even made a summary of what had happened since chapter one until chapter eighteen! She even pointed out some things about what the fanfic talked about which I didn't even realize until she pointed it out.

…Darn. I didn't mean to be that deep until she made me realize about it. –laughs–

So, for all that and inspiring me to finish up chapter nineteen in two days, chapter nineteen is dedicated to SunshineandDaisys.

Oh yeah, for all of those wondering, Kyouta, Fuuko, and now Shuunto, aren't just characters I randomly decided to put in the fanfic for the heck of it. They will be playing a part every now and then, especially in the third part of this story.

So, hopefully, I'll be able to release chapter twenty soon! For now, I'll leave you with a chapter preview and me going… GASP! HE'S BACK!

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Twenty – Return of the Daimyo

**Chapter Preview:** Two pairs of teal colored eyes watched their surroundings as the carriage moved forward. One was male, his hazel colored hair tied back into a simple ponytail. The other was female, her dark black locks hanging freely. "Ne, ne, Onii-sama, how were they like?" asked the female, breaking the silence as she looked at her older brother, "You were at the village once before and you have so many stories about it! Tell me!" A laugh escaped the older male's lips at the enthusiasm of his younger sister. "Kouji-nii-sama!" she pouted, crossing her arms, as she narrowed her eyes, "Tell me about the ninjas of Konohagakure no Sato!" With that, Kouji opened his mouth wider and began to laugh even louder. "Onii-sama!" she wailed, clawing at him pathetically.


	20. Return of the Daimyo

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision  
**Chapter Twenty – Return of the Daimyo

"_Kouji-sama! Kouji-sama!" cried out one of the daimyo's advisers as he rushed forward, clutching a number of precious scrolls to his chest. At his name, the daimyo lifted up his head, his expression, weary and tired._

"_Yes, Katsura…?"_

_Everyone in the court could hear how tired their daimyo felt. They couldn't blame him. Anyone would have been exhausted if they were in his place for the past few weeks._

_Lately, the political and military standings of Enkou were fragile at best, the wars between other neighboring lands and Enkou taking its toll. Enkou was, after all, one of the few territories that were fertile and had received ample rainfall. The number of samurai and mercenaries under his command was diminishing with each passing day._

"_I beseech to you, Kouji-sama, to prepare more, to plan more! The daimyo in the territory north of Enkou as well as the daimyo of the territory east of Enkou are planning to ally themselves with each other, dividing the spoils of the war, Enkou, between them when it's all over!" announced Katsura, panic, fear, and worry evident in his voice._

_Collective gasps resounded through the court as the nobles and generals began whispering amongst themselves. Kouji's head dropped lower, his fingers massaging his throbbing temples gingerly. It had been almost three months since the war had started, about five since he had just become daimyo._

"_Katsura," spoke Kouji, the teal of his eyes getting duller and duller with fatigue as each minute passed by. The elderly adviser looked up, his lower lip quivering in anticipation. "Tell Umi to get ready. We will leave for Konohagakure no Sato tomorrow morning," announced Kouji, lifting his hands to dismiss everyone else._

"_K-Kouji-sama! G-going to K-konoha d-during a t-time s-such as t-this?" stammered Katsura, his eyes wide in surprise. The young daimyo nodded, the weariness evident once more. "W-why?"_

"_To ask the help of the honorable Godaime," replied Kouji, his fingers running against the hilt of his sword. Katsura stared at him in awe._

_Those of Hidden Villages usually never meddled in the affairs of the rest of the territories within their country. They were autonomous after all. Konohagakure no Sato was no exception._

"_I will ask her for help," continued Kouji, his teal eyes brightening momentarily, only to dull instantaneously, "Information, military power, arms, whatever. Any help from anyone will be a relief for Enkou."_

_Lifting his head, Kouji focused his vision towards his room, a dark look passing over his face. He had a flare to shoot that night._

Two pairs of teal colored eyes watched their surroundings as the carriage moved forward. One was male, his hazel colored hair tied back into a simple ponytail. The other was female, her dark black locks hanging freely.

"Ne, ne, Onii-sama, how were they like?" asked the female, breaking the silence as she looked at her older brother, "You were at the village once before and you have so many stories about it! Tell me!" A laugh escaped the older male's lips at the enthusiasm of his younger sister. "Kouji-nii-sama!" she pouted, crossing her arms, as she narrowed her eyes, "Tell me about the ninjas of Konohagakure no Sato!" With that, Kouji opened his mouth wider and began to laugh even louder. "Onii-sama!" she wailed, clawing at him pathetically.

"They're very hospitable people, Umi," began Kouji as he talked about them, fond recollections of the day he had spent there rushing back, "There are many talented shinobi there and they're very strict about their training." Kouji paused as he had remembered what Sakura had told him about her teammates. "Well, at least most of them are," he added quickly.

"Katsura-san says you know the Godaime Hokage personally, is this true?" asked Umi, her own teal eyes twinkling as she leaned forward, wanting to know still more about them, "And do you know anyone my age?"

"Yes, I do know the Godaime Hokage personally. She's very kind," said Kouji. With a dramatic pause, Kouji took a deep breath and prolonged the announcement if he knew anyone as old as her. Sensing this, Umi opened her mouth to speak.

"Onii-sama, tell me if you know anyone!" she cried out, whacking him playfully. Another deep laugh escaped Kouji's lips. It had been a while since he had been able to laugh and smile like that.

"Yes, I do. Haruno Sakura-san and Uchiha Sasuke-san at the very least," he replied, patting his sister's head softly, "They may introduce you to more people but I know only them on a more personal level anyway."

Looking out at the scenery, Kouji had begun to look back on what the Godaime had told him four months prior, before he had left Konoha to go back to his home in Enkou.

"_Kouji, you are the daimyo to one of the most fertile lands in Konoha," spoke Tsunade, her voice grave. Slowly, Kouji nodded his head, wondering where this conversation was going. "I've been hearing rumors that the daimyo of the neighboring territories want to seize Enkou from your grasps," she said bluntly._

"…_Oh," said Kouji quietly, averting his gaze from the Godaime, "Yes, I've heard of that as well from my father. My brothers know of it too. It is only Umi, my sister, who doesn't."_

"_Come back to Konoha when you need our help, we will be glad to. I know of the cruelty and greed of the daimyo who rule territories near yours. The least I can do, as Konoha cannot step in to help any particular territory, is to give you help from back stage," explained Tsunade, drumming her fingers against the table._

"_Tsu-Tsunade-sama…" whispered Kouji, his teal eyes lightening up slightly, "I thank you from the bottom of my heart. My people and I are indebted to you and your village."_

"_Use this flare one night before you leave Enkou for Konoha. I will have prepared everything we know about the neighboring lands and everything we can do to help you," instructed Tsunade, handing a small flare to the young daimyo._

"_Thank you very much," replied Kouji, bowing slightly in respect to the Godaime._

"_On that day, take a rest. I have a feeling when it arrives, you will be exhausted and fatigued."_

In Konoha

Leaning against the pillar, a bored, impassive look was plastered on the face of the male. In his hand was a small rock, being thrown up and down to at least take his mind off things. Beside him was a female, a little eager for the one they were waiting for. Turning around, she smiled and spoke to her companion.

"Ne, ne, Sasuke-kun, aren't you excited to meet Kouji-sama again?" asked Sakura, a cheerful smile on her face. Very few people knew that the daimyo of Enkou was coming. Very few people needed to know for that matter.

"…No, not really, Sakura," he mumbled as he closed his eyes, the repetitive motion of throwing the rock up in the air and catching it becoming mechanical to him. It had just been four months since he had last seen one of the youngest daimyo of the Country of Fire and he doubted much had changed since then.

Sakura shrugged off his response and peered across the gate, hoping to spy some sign of the carriage that the daimyo would be riding in. The Godaime had instructed them to look for a carriage with the symbol of Enkou emblazoned on the sides. Soon enough, the two shinobi could hear the neighing of horses.

"Is that-?" asked Sakura, looking over her shoulder as she faced the Uchiha slightly behind her. He shrugged as he threw down the stone on the dirt path, looking a little more presentable at least. "Probably, I see the emblem of Fujisaki Clan on the clothes of the carriage driver," she said as she straightened her posture.

Inside the carriage, the dark haired female was shifting in her seat excitedly at the sight of Konohagakure. Another smile graced Kouji's face, rare on his face nowadays. Deep in her heart, Umi was worried about her brother's health but the only thing she could do for him now was to remain happy.

"Onii-sama, is that Haruno-san and Uchiha-san?" asked Umi, her teal eyes glistening as she waited for the carriage to come to a complete stop. The daimyo nodded, a weary look appearing on his face once more. "And you will meet with Godaime-sama for the whole day? What will become of me?" asked Umi, looking at her favorite older brother.

"I'm sure Sakura-san and Sasuke-san will cater to your needs while I'm meeting with Tsunade-sama. Don't belittle them because they're not nobles such as us. They're much more influential than you think," instructed Kouji, patting his sister's head.

Umi, though nice, sometimes had the tendency to look down on people who were not born in high-ranking families. She was far too young to remember what happened to the Uchiha Clan, though being the same age as the Chuunin who would escort them. The Haruno family was no Clan but Sakura was an extremely talented Chuunin nonetheless.

"Yes, yes, onii-sama," said Umi, nodding.

Soon, the carriage had stopped and the carriage door swung open, courtesy of the pink haired Chuunin who was outside. On Sakura's face was a cheerful grin and Sasuke's face was as expressionless as ever.

"Kouji-sama, the ANBU a little way away will escort you personally to the office of Tsunade-shishou. She awaits your arrival," greeted Sakura formally, bowing slightly.

"Kouji-sama," said Sasuke, acknowledging his presence, though his bow was stiff.

"A good day to you too, Sakura-san, Sasuke-san," replied Kouji, stepping down from the carriage without any help, "I trust you with my sister, Umi. She's the same age as you but she doesn't know much of the ways of the shinobi, as compared to my brothers and me as we were all candidates for becoming daimyo." At the mention of her name, the dark haired female stepped down, her long midnight-colored tresses flowing against her pale blue kimono.

"Good morning, Sakura-san," said Umi, a smile on her face.

"Good morning, Umi-sama," replied Sakura as she extended a hand. Umi took it, though obviously somewhat uncomfortable. Her brother had already left, walking inside the village being formally escorted by the ANBU.

"Good morning Sasuke-sa—" Umi's greeting was cut off as she looked at the male Chuunin. Sakura coughed slightly, knowing what had just happened. Umi was no exception to the Uchiha's innate charm. He could just simply be standing and all the females within a twenty-meter radius of him would be smitten by him.

"Good morning to you too," he said gruffly, obviously not meaning it. Turning around on his heel, Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and began walking back to the village. Sakura followed en suite.

Umi just continued to stare at Sasuke's back, unable to move.

"Are you coming or what?" snapped Sasuke as he looked back, "And I'm not going there to carry you inside the village. It's either you walk or we leave you." Snapping out of her reverie, Umi began to walk after them.

"You needn't be so harsh, Sasuke-kun," whispered Sakura so only the male in their group could hear. All she got was the standard Sasuke 'Hmph!'

In the Godaime's Office

"…They what?" shouted Tsunade, slamming her fist onto her wooden desk. The table creaked under the force of the slam, powerful even without chakra. Kouji flinched.

"They're planning to merge powers and when they take hold of Enkou, they'll divide it into equal parts and draw lots for the different divisions of Enkou," mumbled Kouji tiredly, looking much older than his age. A resounding crack reverberated throughout the otherwise silent room.

The pencil Tsunade was holding had broken in her hand, the splinters from the writing instrument sticking out dangerously.

"Why didn't I know of this?" hissed Tsunade, her eyes narrowing. She was the second to the least impartial of the Hokage when it came to the affairs of the Country of Fire. She was helping Kouji after all as a testament to that fact.

The Yondaime was the least impartial of the Five Hokage of Konoha. He had sacrificed his life to seal the Kyuubi into Naruto. Then again, even Konoha was at stake but nonetheless, he had done it for the lives of the citizens of the Country of Fire, ninja or not.

"Apparently, they had made sure that all ninjas were banned from their lands, regardless if they come from Konoha or not, and they had discussed this. It was lucky that one of my spies had made it back alive to tell my chief adviser about this," said Kouji wearily, rubbing his temples.

"Shizune, call for those in the ANBU Intelligence with information about Enkou and the territories that surround it. Tell them that the daimyo of Enkou is finally here to get the information we had promised him four months ago," said Tsunade gravely, her expression darkening.

"Y-yes, Tsu-tsunade-sama!" stuttered Shizune as she rushed out of the room.

In the Streets of Konoha

Sasuke twitched in annoyance as Umi clung to his arm. If Naruto was also part of the mission, he would either be laughing his ass off or burning with jealousy, probably even both. Sakura was just giggling as she walked ahead.

"Ne, Sasuke-san, why did you decide to become a shinobi?" asked Umi, loosening her hold on his already probably dead arm. Sasuke sighed in silent relief, refusing to answer. "Sasuke-san!" persisted Umi, obviously not going to let the topic drop just like that.

"Because of my family," he answered through gritted teeth. Umi squealed in delight at the answer, getting one finally. "Now let go of my arm," he hissed, the circulation running through his numb arm after what seemed like hours.

The passersby laughed to themselves at the sight of the Uchiha being clung to by a girl other than Sakura and Ino. Although the two kunoichi of Konoha haven't done that since their Genin days, it was still just a sight to see if anyone other than them managed to get close to the stoic Uchiha.

"Can I meet your family?" asked Umi innocently, her teal eyes twinkling. Sasuke twitched at the request and Sakura just froze. No one ever asked Sasuke about his family, even those born after the massacre had occurred.

"Err… Umi-sama," spoke Sakura quietly, trying to diver the attention of the daimyo's sister. The Chuunin could vaguely see sparks of irritation and anger from the Uchiha.

"What?" snapped Umi, her teal eyes burning darkly as she looked at Sakura. The Chuunin flinched slightly as she felt the full blast of Umi's fiery gaze.

"I don't think Sasuke-kun would want to talk about that…" Sakura replied, her voice firm, though still soft. Umi snorted in disgust.

"Why are you calling him Sasuke-kun? How much do you know him? Even I, the sister of a daimyo, am not calling him Sasuke-kun," spoke Umi tartly, "And why wouldn't someone want to talk about his or her family? They are a source of pride, after all!"

"Maybe because they've been killed already?" offered Sasuke, his voice dripping with poison. The Uchiha was trying to resist to succumb to the urge to summon at least Manden and make the girl faint at the sight of a large snake. "And why does she call me Sasuke-kun? Maybe, because, she was also a part of Team 7," he added, still irritated at Umi.

The daimyo's younger sister could only stare back at the Uchiha, unsure of what to do next.

Late Afternoon: Hokage Tower

After Sasuke had blown up at Umi, the daimyo's younger sister had become more reserved and less haughty. She had settled to becoming nicer to Sakura, more appreciative of the surroundings, and bothered Sasuke less.

Both Chuunin had preferred this suddenly changed Umi but had wondered how quick to change she was in terms of attitude. Although Ino and Sakura had been like that when they were twelve, it had taken them much longer to adjust in terms of anything to do with Sasuke.

In the mean time, they were waiting outside of the Hokage's office as they were instructed. They had been waiting for the past half hour and it was already six-thirty. Sasuke and Umi were waiting outside as Sakura went in to check on the meeting. It was less likely that the Godaime would vent her anger and/or irritation on the female Chuunin.

"Umi-sama, your brother will be out shortly," said Sakura quietly, stepping out the office. Umi smiled and nodded gratefully as Sakura closed the door with a soft click. "Kouji-sama told me to tell you that you will be returning to Enkou tonight," added Sakura as she leaned back against the wall.

"What? And I was starting to get used to this village too," said Umi, the tone of her voice forlorn, "Oh well, I guess it can't be helped."

The next few minutes were spent in silence, Umi sitting down and drumming her fingers against the arm rest. Sakura shifted her weight on her feet every once in a while as the seconds ticked by. Sasuke remained stationary. Soon enough, the door opened, revealing Tsunade and Kouji, both with relieved expressions on their faces.

"Best of luck to Enkou, Kouji, and let us pray that you will win your war," said Tsunade, extending a hand out to the young daimyo.

"I hope so too, Tsunade-sama, I hope so too," the daimyo said with a slight laugh. Looking over his shoulder, Kouji found the two Chuunin standing and his sister on the seat. "Well, I hope Umi wasn't too much of a burden for you, Sakura-san, Sasuke-san. I apologize for taking a day from you when you could be doing other things," said Kouji, turning around to face the two Chuunin.

"It wasn't a problem at all," reassured Sakura, a slight smile on her face, "In fact, it was our pleasure, right, Sasuke-kun?" A snort came from Sasuke at that, causing the female Chuunin to elbow him discreetly.

"Yeah, it wasn't any problem," mumbled Sasuke, rubbing the spot where Sakura's elbow had connected in his body.

"Well, if there isn't anything left to be said, Sakura, Sasuke, escort Kouji and his sister to their carriage and your duties are finished for tonight," instructed the Godaime.

"Yes, Godaime-sama."

**Tsuzuku…**

And so chapter twenty comes into existence.

I've been pretty busy lately (school, homework, research work, and **JAPANESE LESSONS** among others) so I really couldn't find any time to update until today.

I won't be able to update until December 15 because I have my tests again and I really want to concentrate.

I hope that you don't mind my slowness for now.

**ANNOUNCEMENT:**

I have decided that PPV will now become a trilogy, called the Vision Trilogy.

Technically, they can all fall in one fanfic but that would make it too long. Besides, it comes in parts. PPV (Past Peripheral Vision) deals with the training and the preparations and such before the Jounin Exams, AotD (Appraisal of the Diamond) deals with the Jounin Exams proper and UP (Unmasked Perception) deals with their lives afterwards. They're all connected but I really don't need to finish PPV to start writing AotD and AotD to write UP. However, since you should have a background on what happens in the entire flow of the story, I've separated it into more understandable segments.

Either starting in chapter twenty of PPV or the first chapter of AotD, I will have a new writing style, in terms of paragraphs anyway. I'll make them less chunky since even I'm having a hard time filling it up. However, before I update anything, I will still stick to having at least 3000 words in my chapters.

I'm thinking of asking someone to become my beta-reader for this trilogy project but have no one in mind. If you want to become my beta reader, starting for chapter twenty-two of PPV, or if you think I don't need one, please email me at giving me the reason why or why not.

If you're trying to become my beta reader, edit **this chapter (chapter 20)** to the best of your abilities. Edit the entire thing, hopefully, within two days since I do initial proofreading. It shouldn't take you that long.

Email me the following content with the subject of your email as **Beta-Reader Application**. The email will not be read without any subject. When you correct, use **Times New Roman, italicized** to make notes and insertion.

Name:  
Day Started:  
Day Ended:  
Why You Think You Should be Beta-Reader:

I don't bite. :D Good luck to all who'll try out! Also, if no one's abilities meet my standards, I will continue on writing even without a beta-reader.

For now, I hope you'll be satisfied with a chapter preview of the next one, chapter twenty-one.

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Twenty-one – Academy Life

**Chapter Preview:** "Sakura, Hinata has called in sick so I'd like to assign you to teach her class for the remainder of the week. It's only two days and it will do you some good in the future. As a Jounin, you have the chance of teaching a trio of Genin just as Kakashi had done for you, Naruto, and Sasuke," explained Tsunade, drumming her fingers against the mahogany of her desk.


	21. Academy Life

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision**  
Chapter Twenty-One – Academy Life

"Hinata-sama!" said the Jounin urgently, watching helplessly as the Hyuuga heiress tossed about on her futon. Her parents, as well as her younger sister Hanabi, were by her side, a frown on their faces.

"I'm alright," coughed out Hinata, her voice raspy as her fingers clutched tightly on her futon. Looking up, the Jounin's eyes faced the opalescent ones of the heiress' immediate family. "I'll be able to go to the Academy today," said Hinata weakly, the fit of coughs subsiding for the meantime.

The others in the room looked warily at each other. Hinata had always been the stubborn one. When she had made up her mind to do something, she wanted to see it through. Although to begin with, there weren't very many things Hinata made up her mind in doing. She still somewhat lacked in the self-confidence department.

"Neji, inform the Godaime, as well as the Academy, to look for a different Chuunin to take over Hinata's class while she is sick. She's much too weak to handle the strain of teaching a class," spoke Hiashi quietly. Despite the tone of his voice, it still commanded much authority.

Bowing, Neji kneeled down before making his way out of Hinata's room. Before he did leave, however, Hinata's managed to open her mouth to speak.

"I… I can…" spoke Hinata, barely managing to string the words together. In her mind, she knew what to say but she couldn't command her vocal chords to vibrate enough for her to speak the words.

"Hinata-sama, your class will be fine for the time you will be gone," reassured Neji, the rare smile appearing on his face before he left. Hinata's hand fell back down as she closed her eyes, the pain throbbing even more. Hopefully, Neji would be right about what he said.

Hokage Tower: Tsunade's Office

Sakura shifted her weight from one foot to another, waiting for her turn to be spoken to. She didn't know why she was called when Tsunade was already meeting with Neji. Maybe, she was going out on a mission with Neji in charge, just the two of them. Tsunade was probably giving Neji the mission particulars that only he should know.

"Hinata-sama was quite persistent about being healthy enough to go to the Academy today," said Neji, his voice low. A slight smile appeared on the Godaime's face, her hazel eyes resting on the fidgeting Chuunin before focusing her attention back to the opalescent-eyed Jounin.

"Hmm, alright then. How long has Hinata had the fever?" asked Tsunade, a plan already formulating in her mind.

"Just yesterday, although we thought she was just tired from lack of sleep," replied Neji. A knowing smile made its way to Tsunade's face as she sat up straight. Silently, she motioned for Neji to call for the pink haired Chuunin. Turning around, he opened his mouth to speak. "Sakura."

At her name, Sakura's ears perked up. She made sure to not look too excited that she had finally been called for. Her footsteps were loud in the otherwise silent room. Under Neji's stoic gaze, Sakura found it hard not to shiver, despite being his friend, or acquaintance at the very least.

"Sakura, Hinata has called in sick so I'd like to assign you to teach her class for the remainder of the week. It's only two days and it will do you some good in the future. As a Jounin, you have the chance of teaching a trio of Genin just as Kakashi had done for you, Naruto, and Sasuke," explained Tsunade, drumming her fingers against the mahogany of her desk.

"Two days, are you sure that's enough time for Hinata-sama to get better? No offense meant, Godaime-sama," asked Neji, slight worry evident in her voice. This time, it was Sakura who responded.

"Whatever Hinata-chan is sick of, Neji-san, I'm sure she'll be up and healthy after two days. She has an incredible immune system and I doubt she's sick of anything grave if Tsunade-shishou says two days rest is enough time for her to get better," explained Sakura, her voice cheerful.

"As you say, Sakura, as you say," said Neji, conceding to the explanation of the younger shinobi, worry for the heiress still in his mind.

A Few Hours Later: the Ninja Academy

The class was in its usual hustle and bustle, common to every single one through the years. The boys crowded around in one side, usually talking about the latest in weaponry or their idol shinobi, be it a Chuunin, a Jounin, or the Hokage herself. The girls were in another corner, talking about which boys looked the cutest, regardless of age. There were, however, a select few who didn't join in with the talk. Fuuko, Kyouta, and Shuunto happened to be a part of that handful.

"Ne, ne, what's talking Hinata-sensei so long?" complained Fuuko, stretching out on the desk in front of her. Kyouta shrugged carelessly, choosing to slump down deeper on his seat than to reply to his classmate.

"I hear Hinata-sensei is sick," said Shuunto, dragging a pencil along a clean piece of paper, writing down characters. Fuuko looked up at him, curiosity shimmering in his eyes. "I have to pass by the Hyuuga Household to go to school you know," informed the left-handed student, still concentrating on his writing.

Every morning, Shuunto had to pass by the Hyuuga Manor in order to get to the Academy. His house was located some five or so minutes away from the tract of land that the Hyuuga Clan had owned.

The Hyuuga Clan, like the Uchiha Clan, lived separately from the rest of Konoha. The Hyuuga and Uchiha territories were separated from the rest of Konoha by a large fence. Though the land owned by the Uchiha Clan was easily bigger because it had more Clan members, people said otherwise since the massacre had occurred.

"I wonder who'll take her place then…" thought Fuuko out loud, talking to no one in particular. The boys on either side of her shrugged, leaving Fuuko to her own devices until the substitute came.

No one noticed the door slide open as a Chuunin walked in, an air of authority surrounding the shinobi. Everyone was still engrossed in what they usually did. Hinata was the type to wait another five or so minutes before calling their attention. The Chuunin who walked in, however, was not.

"Good morning class," chirped the Chuunin. The ten year olds froze. The voice was still feminine but it didn't sound like Hinata's at all. In fact, it was somewhat louder and more confident than that of their Chuunin instructor.

"S-Sakura-s-sensei!" stammered Fuuko, standing in her place.

"Well, get to your seats," said Sakura, shooing them off to their places. The students droned their reply, their shoulders starting to sag. A slight frown appeared on Sakura's face as she watched them. Of course, she heard they were talented Academy students but without motivation, what good was it for them to graduate and become Genin?

"Sakura-sensei, where's Hinata-sensei?" asked Kyouta, his hand shooting up as he remained in his seat.

"Hinata-sensei has a fever so I'll be your substitute teacher for today and tomorrow," explained Sakura as she took out a stack of papers. The students shuddered at the sight of the stack of white sheets. It was probably the test they took the week before. "I was given these papers to distribute. Though I didn't grade them, I saw your scores and I'm mildly pleased at the results," said Sakura as she began to call out the names.

Twenty Minutes Later: Academy Students' Training Area

The students gathered outside, shifting their weight from one foot to the other in anticipation. Sakura had spent the past couple of minutes scrutinizing them, as if she could see something more about them beyond the way they looked. Soon enough, she had stopped and began to speak.

"I've been informed that you were about to start the Bunshin no Jutsu today, right?" asked Sakura for clarification.

"Hinata-sensei said that she'd give us a brief introduction on the Bunshin no Jutsu and its uses, as well as how to perform it," informed Fuuko, hoping it'd help Sakura even a little bit. The Chuunin nodded before continuing.

"You all know that there are three basic Nin Jutsu which Academy students learn during their years here, the Kawarimi no Jutsu or the Replacement Technique, Henge no Jutsu or the Transformation Technique and the one you're about to learn today, the Bunshin no Jutsu," explained Sakura. "For now, it's the Cloning Technique."

Closing her eyes, Sakura gathered the needed chakra and began to perform the technique. In a matter of seconds, four puffs of smoke appeared, two on either side of her. As the smoke began to dissipate, replicas of her appeared, doing the exact same thing she was.

"Of course, these bunshin will do the same thing you do, be it raising your arm or taking one step forward," added Sakura, lifting her hand to show emphasis. Indeed, the other four clones did the same thing. "The Bunshin no Jutsu is useful, especially in confusing the enemy. Each bunshin disappears when they are hit," she added with a tone of finality.

"Sakura-sensei, I hear of another cloning technique called the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Do we get to learn it?" asked Shuunto, his green eyes glittering slightly.

"As a Jounin, perhaps you will, although there is a Chuunin who knows of this technique already, even as a Genin. But, I sincerely doubt any of you can handle the strain of learning the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu at your age and skill," replied Sakura, making her clones disappear in another puff of smoke.

"Then what is the difference between Kage Bunshin and Bunshin no Jutsu?" asked Kyouta somewhat pointedly, slightly irritated that he couldn't get to learn the more advanced technique.

"In Bunshin no Jutsu, the clones do exactly the same thing the shinobi does. However, if you use Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, you create real bodies, able to move separately and voice out opinions and such during attacks. They can help out by using Tai Jutsu or even molding chakra to help you use a jutsu. However, once they're hit by an opponent, they disappear just like regular bunshin. It's different when they hit as opposed to when they're hit," explained Sakura, hoping they could get the explanation she just gave.

"When can we start practicing Bunshin no Jutsu then, Sakura-sensei?" asked Fuuko enthusiastically. Kyouta had at least settled down slightly after hearing the major differences between the two cloning techniques.

"Now, actually," said Sakura with a laugh. The students nodded as they began to move apart, to make room for their bunshin. "For now, practice creating just one bunshin, progressing to more bunshin as you get used to the technique. Your goal for the week is to create one bunshin, or if you're lucky, two," instructed Sakura, her green eyes reflecting the sight of the students before her.

After Classes: By the Swing

The sun had already begun to set and the last of Hinata's students had just left. It was a pretty tiring day, despite just having to teach Academy students how to perform the Bunshin no Jutsu.

Sakura was more tired with having to walk around and explain once more how to perform the Jutsu than actually being spent because she taught. She wondered how tired Kakashi had been after teaching the three of them. Team Seven's members were so different in style.

Sakura was more the strategic type, to stay behind the lines and offer support. Naruto, though he planned a bit, was more the type to just attack his opponents face first. Sasuke was a combination of both Sakura and Naruto, but definitely much stronger, physically, than Sakura. Kakashi was a perfect balance of the three, so to speak.

A lone figure lingered by the swing, pacing around quietly, as if waiting for someone. A soft smile found its way to the Chuunin's face as she stepped closer towards the figure. Putting her hand on the figure's shoulder, she opened her mouth to speak.

"How'd you know I was here and why are you here anyway?" asked Sakura, a slight grin on her face. He snorted as he shrugged off her hand from his shoulder.

"I saw you earlier. I was passing by the training area to go to my shift in the East Gate," he explained, blunt in his manner. He was always like that anyway.

"So you say," said Sakura as she relaxed her posture, letting her hand swing freely at her side. He grunted a response that seemed so like him to do. "What are you doing here though, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, honest curiosity in her voice.

"Felt like being here," he reasoned as he turned around. Sakura nodded, her eyes twinkling.

"Want to go to Ichiraku with me for dinner? I'll even pay for your dinner," invited Sakura, tugging on Sasuke's arm for added emphasis. The Uchiha's eyebrow rose, wondering why she was doing this. "Is it wrong for a friend to just invite another for dinner, hmm?" countered Sakura, a smile playing on her lips.

"…I suppose not," he mumbled, hardly having any reason to decline her invitation.

"Great! Let's go then," said Sakura cheerfully, pulling him along with her.

Ten Minutes Later: Ichiraku

"..And I'll have the Chicken Ramen with Miso," ordered Sakura as she put down the menu. Sasuke had ordered his usual ramen, the Ramen Special.

Ichiraku was the official headquarters of Team Seven, at least for meals. Naruto would drag them there most of the time. And for the others, who didn't survive by eating ramen, it was fine with them. Ichiraku ramen was indeed very palatable and they could break the monotony of the taste by buying a snack afterwards.

As the ramen owner and his assistant began to cook their food, an awkward silence fell over the two Chuunin. It's not like they've never kept silent before in each other's presence but for some reason, neither of them, especially Sakura, could start a conversation, even a one-sided one.

"…What were you doing in the Academy anyway?" The question from Sasuke caught the female off guard a little, not expecting him to start a conversation at all. Nonetheless, she answered it.

"Hinata-chan is sick with a fever and Tsunade-shishou advised her to stay in bed today and tomorrow. I'm taking over her class until tomorrow," explained Sakura, her cheeks turning red in the process.

"Hn," mumbled Sasuke as he nodded slowly, accepting her explanation.

"I want to become like Kakashi-sensei, as a Jounin anyway," said Sakura quietly. At that, Sasuke stared.

"You…what?" he hissed, hardly being able to imagine Sakura being similar to that perverted, forever-late Jounin who, sad to say, was one of the best.

"Not like that! I mean, I want to teach a Genin Team just like he did!" explained Sakura quickly, her face turning a dark crimson in embarrassment.

"…At least," Sasuke mumbled in relief. It would be hell if there was a second Kakashi. There was hardly enough room in Konoha for one.

Silence hung like a huge canopy over them, Sasuke going back to his brooding and Sakura, back to her humming. The smell of cooking ramen wafted in the air, enough to make a certain blonde Chuunin grow even hungrier. Thinking about him, Sakura hadn't seen him for days.

She was busy with her training and she had just gone back to making her rounds in the hospital, making sure the shinobi who were under her charge were getting better.

"Sasuke-kun, where's Naruto? I haven't seen him in days," asked Sakura, tilting her head slightly to see the Uchiha better.

"Mission I guess," replied Sasuke, shrugging. He wasn't the type to go snooping around, finding out information on the whereabouts of certain ninjas, especially if that ninja was Naruto. Unless, of course, the blonde had gone missing or something, then he would but otherwise, he'd rather stick his nose in his own business.

Sakura nodded, satisfied with Sasuke's answer. She hadn't expected much in the first place but the fact that he answered meant something, even just a little.

"Here you go kids, Chicken Ramen with Miso for Sakura-chan and Ramen Special for Sasuke-kun," said the stall owner cheerfully, setting down the bowls of steaming ramen in front of them.

He had known Sasuke and Sakura since they were still Academy students, the pair sometimes visiting for food. Their visits to the quaint Ramen stall had increased the minute they became Genin.

"Itadakimasu!" said the Chuunin in unison, breaking their chopsticks and starting to eat their freshly cooked dinner.

5:00pm the Next Day: Hyuuga Household

Sakura shivered slightly as she walked through the large corridors of the Hyuuga Household. The students were quick to catch on with the Bunshin no Jutsu, faring much better than yesterday. They still needed a lot of practice but they had at least gotten the basics.

Kyouta had managed to create a bunshin, a useless one but at least managing to do so. Sakura had spent a good five minutes consoling the brooding young Academy student who had hoped to get it already.

"Hinata-nee-sama is doing better," informed Hanabi quietly. Hinata's younger sister had taken it upon herself to guide the pink haired Chuunin to her sister's room.

"That's good. Tsunade-shishou sent me over here to check on Hinata-chan's health as well as report to her about her class," explained Sakura, her feet padding gently against the wooden flooring. Hanabi nodded knowingly.

"This is Hinata-nee-sama's room. When you're done visiting, Neji-nii-san will show you the way out. He's inside anyway," instructed Hanabi, sliding open the shoji door. With a slight, somewhat stiff bow, Hanabi left Sakura's presence.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura stepped inside the room. She had gotten used to being under the gaze of one Hyuuga at a time but being under the gaze of at least two was probably unimaginable for many shinobi.

As soon as she stepped inside, Sakura's eyes widened. True enough, Neji was there, leaning against the wall and staying near his cousin's bedside, Hinata was indeed feeling better, already sitting up, but the presence of another startled her. It was Hinata's father, the current patriarch of the Hyuuga Clan.

"You must be Haruno Sakura-san. Hinata has told me about you," greeted Hiashi, his tone somewhat warm. Sakura felt her cheeks color slightly as she nodded, bowing slightly. "So what do we owe your visit to, Sakura-san?"

"It's alright, you can call me Sakura," corrected the Chuunin with a slight laugh, feeling it odd to have the –san honorific attached to her name by one of the most high-ranking shinobi in Konoha. The older Hyuuga male nodded. "I just came to check on Hinata-chan's health by Tsunade-shishou's orders and to tell her the progress of her class," explained Sakura, tucking a stray strand of her rosette colored hair behind her ear.

Both male Hyuuga stepped aside, allowing for Sakura to approach the hopefully recovered Hinata. All external signs were good showing that she had gotten over the worst of her sickness. Other standard check-up procedures were done as well, just to make sure she was indeed healthy.

"Well, with enough sleep tonight, you should be able to go back to the Academy tomorrow," announced Sakura, a smile on her face. Hiashi breathed a sigh of relief as he heard Sakura speak. "And Hinata-chan, your students are doing well. Most of them have gotten through the basics of Bunshin no Jutsu already," added Sakura in the end.

"Already that fast?" said Hinata, more a statement than a question really. Another nod came from Sakura. "Thank you, Sakura-chan," said Hinata, her voice slightly quieter.

"No problem."

**Tsuzuku…**

And I have a beta-reader. Since I was able to choose before this chapter was uploaded, Yuugi-chan was able to beta this. Hope it ends up better.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Despite the lateness.

With nothing left to say, I'm looking forward to writing the last five chapters of this story, taking a break, then starting anew on the second part of the Vision Trilogy.

I leave you with the fact that this will be the last update of the year 2005, the next one already in 2006 as I have no time to write anymore for what's left of December.

As a parting note, here's the chapter preview for the next chapter.

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Twenty-Two – Katon: Okibi Arashi no Jutsu

**Chapter Preview:** _Usagi, Ryuu, Hebi, Inu, Tora. _Hare. Dragon. Serpent. Dog. Tiger. The seals flashed by quickly, Aya's hands lingering on each seal for the quickest of moments. As Aya's hands drifted to her side, a long, wide ribbon of fire burst forth from her mouth, only to tear into smaller tongues of fire. Patches of Sakura's skin glowed orange and the flames burned brightly as the landed everywhere. "Katon: Okibi Arashi no Jutsu."


	22. Katon: Okibi Arashi no Jutsu

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only things in this story that are mine are the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision**  
Chapter Twenty-Two – Katon: Okibi Arashi no Jutsu

Humming softly, Sakura tucked a stray strand of her rosette colored hair behind her ear.

It had been ten months since she had decided to dedicate herself for training. A lot of things had happened since then.

Her heart had broken for the last time and was slowly beginning to heal.

Her medical jutsu were slowly being polished as the days passed. Her usual training with the Godaime was still in progress after all.

Her Nin, Gen, and especially her Tai Jutsu were being practiced and refined, her repertoire of techniques growing with each training session with Aya.

Yet today, the Jounin was a little late, unlike her. She was either just on time or a little earlier, usually the former. Sakura didn't mind the wait, for so long as it wasn't insane during the days she had to wait for Kakashi. She was almost ready to rip him apart every time.

"Sakura!" called out Aya as she suddenly appeared, waving her arms wildly in order to catch the attention of the female Chuunin. Sakura's heart would have lurched forward had she not been a shinobi.

With a curt nod, Sakura pushed herself off from the railings and began walking towards the Jounin.

Today was the day that Aya was going to impart her favorite Katon jutsu, the Okibi Arashi no Jutsu. Sakura had seen it in action a couple of times but she had been engrossed in either her own training or her own strategy of attack to be able to clearly observe how it was done.

Typically, Katon jutsu were practiced over a large body of water, deep and wide enough for it to be able to counteract with the flames that would burst forth, otherwise, everything would be on fire. Today, they would be practicing in front of a long, moderately wide river, the flow of the water strong and steady.

This jutsu, unlike most Katon jutsu, was wider than it was longer. In the beginning, it looked like it was Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu but it would split into hundreds of smaller, but not in the slightest weaker, tongues of fire to cover even more ground.

"You've watched me perform this jutsu before. Did you observe anything during those slight moments that you actually could take your mind off the battle?" asked Aya as soon as Sakura stepped in front of her.

"It's pretty much like the Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu but you let out your chakra in spurts rather than continuously. When the fire you let out is enough, you send out concentrated chakra at the end in order to break the huge ball before you and for it to separate into smaller flames," explained Sakura, her natural observation skills handy.

"I'm impressed. Despite you seeing them only twice or thrice, you were able to describe it perfectly. You'd make the perfect spy, ANBU, or even a Jounin instructor, as you'll be able to tell the talents and specialties of each of your students," complimented Aya. "Who trained you to be like that?"

"Kakashi-sensei did, back when I was still twelve," replied Sakura. "Since I never seemed to be the type to just charge in and fight, he taught me to be primary support and secondary attacker at least."

_Usagi, Ryuu, Hebi, Inu, Tora. _Hare. Dragon. Serpent. Dog. Tiger. The seals flashed by quickly, Aya's hands lingering on each seal for the quickest of moments. As Aya's hands drifted to her side, a long, wide ribbon of fire burst forth from her mouth, only to tear into smaller tongues of fire. Patches of Sakura's skin glowed orange and the flames burned brightly as the landed everywhere. "Katon: Okibi Arashi no Jutsu."

When Aya had finished, Sakura took it as a silent signal to try it by herself.

_Usagi, Ryuu, Hebi, Inu, Tora._ As Sakura opened her mouth, fire started to burst forth, the heat searing the air it passed through. Though significantly smaller and weaker than what Aya had done, the principle of the jutsu was at least shown. The strip of fire parted into smaller tongues, landing on top of the cold, running river water and turning part of it into steam.

"That was good for your first try," said Aya as she threw a small container towards Sakura. Deftly, the Chuunin caught it. "Your lips and the skin surrounding it tend to get dry after doing any Katon jutsu repeatedly. Use that to moisten the area to at least lessen the charring."

Near the Uchiha Compound

A few heads popped up every now and then from beneath the foliage, watching a certain shinobi as he began to move some wooden logs to a bin, probably for fire. A few girlish giggles erupted and soon after, a few violent "ssh!"'s came.

Hearing the noise, the shinobi looked behind him, his dark eyes growing sharp, shining with annoyance, as he continued to pick up some more logs.

"He saw us!" whispered one of the girls excitedly, her cheeks reddening.

Without a word, he stood up straight and drew back his hand, armed with a kunai, as metal clashed against metal.

"Dobe, it's useless," he growled as he put back his weapon in its holster, tossing the last of the logs into the bin. "Especially if you were so obvious like that."

"Guess the distraction didn't work eh?" said Naruto sheepishly, a few loud pops heard from the foliage. Obviously, he had used a very small Harem no Jutsu and Sasuke had just hoped that they wore clothes. Naruto was infamous for his perverted jutsu though not quite as infamous as Jiraiya.

"What do you want?"

"I saw Sakura-chan practicing a Katon jutsu by the river! You want to go watch for a while?" suggested Naruto, a sly grin on his face.

Naruto wasn't as oblivious as most people thought he was to the relationship of Sakura and Sasuke. Although they were all friends, Sasuke's and Sakura's relationship was always bordering on remaining friends to the fork in the road of it being ruined and for it to develop into something more.

Sasuke stood rigid as he turned around, a slightly annoyed look in his face. Sometimes, he would watch but that was when he was done with everything that he had to do and when he was sure that Sakura and the Jounin with her wouldn't notice his presence. But, recently, that plan had failed.

"No thanks, I have guard duty in the West Gate in an hour," lied Sasuke, his expression and his voice normal.

It was true that he had guard duty at the West Gate but that wasn't until eleven. It was still early in the morning.

"Okay then," said Naruto, his hope not deflated in the least. "I'll just say you said hi then…?"

"Whatever you want," replied Sasuke nonchalantly as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Just don't drag me along into any of your mischief or I'll personally be the one to kill you."

"Hah! You've said that so many times but you were never able to kill me!"

"Just… go…" grunted Sasuke irately.

"Fine, fine!"

As Naruto turned around, skin from his cheek tore open, a long but shallow wound appearing, as a needle landed with a sharp thud, embedding itself into a tree's trunk.

"…NO NEED TO BE PISSED OFF DAMMIT!" shouted Naruto as he turned back, expecting to see Sasuke standing there and smirking. However, the Uchiha was long gone. "ARGH!"

At the Forest

Creeping down slowly, Naruto watched as the air above the water burned a bright orange, a sign that Sakura was still indeed practicing. In his hand he clutched a bento, hoping to bring a good surprise to Sakura and the Jounin who had helped her out all this time.

"Nishishishi, I hope she'll be happy to see what I brought for lunch!" said Naruto quietly to himself, walking closer and closer to where Sakura and Aya were.

It wasn't that he was trying to not be spotted but if that was the case, then, he'd be able to surprise them! He just didn't want to disturb Sakura who seemed really into her practice, taking just short moments to regain her breath and start all over again.

"One more time, Sakura, before we have lunch!" shouted Aya, looking in Naruto's general direction. With a slight nod, Sakura bent over, resting slightly before casting the technique one more time. "You're welcome to come out you know."

"Caught red-handed I suppose," said Naruto with slight embarrassment, lifting up the bento and a small bag carrying a container of tea and three glasses. "Oh well, I was hoping to surprise you but anyway."

"The thought's always appreciated. Thank you, Naruto-san. Sakura should be done shortly," said Aya with a smile, motioning for the boy to stand beside her.

_Katon: Okibi Arashi no Jutsu_ Another strip of fire escaped her lips, this time, much more powerful than the last one she had conjured up. The fireball in front of her burned brightly, big but not as big as Aya's had been, nor as powerful.

"Wow," said Naruto in amazement, watching as the ball of fire broke into smaller flames, landing on top of the water and rising as steam. He wasn't really one to use fire techniques; then again, he didn't know any. "Is this what Sakura-chan has been practicing all day, Aya-nee-san?"

"Yup," said the Jounin cheerfully as she looked at Naruto, a slight grin on her face. Looking back at Sakura, she waved her arm in the air, calling the female Chuunin. "Sakura, Naruto-kun is here to visit!"

Hearing the name of her former teammate, Sakura perked up and looked at Aya. True enough, beside her, Naruto stood wearing his normal bright orange clothes. However, what attracted her attention more was the fact that Naruto was carrying something that looked to be lunch. At the thought of food, her stomach rumbled.

"Naruto! What are you doing here?" asked Sakura, jogging up to the Jounin and the other Chuunin.

"Just wanted to watch you practice and have lunch together!" he said with a grin, lifting up the things he was carrying as added emphasis. At that, Sakura smiled, her expression, warm and sincere.

Up in the trees, onyx eyes were watching, sometimes flickering into a shade of red as the scene unfurled below.

"Sasuke, you should really just go down there you know. You're always watching from up above," spoke a voice, a slightly teasing tone to it.

"But why? I'll leave after a few moments anyway," muttered Sasuke, watching as the three began to set up a place to eat.

"Because you're always watching her even though you said you wouldn't," the other replied with a matter-of-factly tone to it.

"No I don't," retorted Sasuke, turning around to face his companion. "Let's just get the hell out of here and train already, alright Kakashi?"

With that, the stubborn Uchiha jumped to another limb, moving nimbly from tree to tree. A slight smile appeared from beneath Kakashi's mask, a slightly almost fatherly look appearing in his lone, visible eye.

"Whatever you say, Sasuke, you still like her," he thought to himself, following after the Uchiha.

One Week Later

_Usagi, Ryuu, Hebi, Inu, Tora. Katon: Okibi Arashi no Jutsu!_ Fire escaped her lips as she watched the technique unfurl itself in front of her. Moments later, the flaming ball burst into smaller tongues of fire, each equally as powerful.

Sakura sighed in relief as she slumped down onto the forest floor, her hands supporting her as she rested. It took a great deal of chakra and patience to practice any sort of katon jutsu. The skin around her lips had already begun to dry out, though at closer inspection, she knew it would go away when she had finally mastered the technique.

"It's a wonder you're alone today," spoke a voice, causing Sakura to stiffen. Looking back, she turned to face a familiar face, a visit somewhat unexpected though deeply appreciated. "Here, it's for the dry skin."

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," said Sakura gratefully, catching the small container. "What are you doing here? Aren't you usually practicing with Kakashi-sensei at around this time?"

"He has a mission," he replied curtly, looking at the pristine waters flowing in the river. He remembered when he was this earnest about being able to perform the Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu up to his father's standards.

He was up as early has he could be and he went home as late as his parents allowed him to. It was an especially important moment when his father had told him that his achievement was expected of him, being his son, for once not being compared to his older brother.

Opening the container, Sakura looked at the simple salve with a small smile. It looked to be an old salve, around nine years old already. Looking back up at Sasuke, she opened her mouth to speak.

"You didn't have to give this you know. A simple salve from the pharmacy would have been efficient," said Sakura, a grateful tone evident in her voice.

"I know how it is, practicing a katon jutsu that involves fire escaping your mouth. I had to go through it when I was young, under the somewhat watchful eye of my father," explained Sasuke, pocketing his hands in his pockets. "Really, it's no big deal."

"But didn't your mom or someone make this? I'd suspect that you'd treasure it or something, being one of the few remaining memories you have of your family," she replied quietly, looking away from Sasuke.

"Apply it now. They should feel much better in ten minutes or so. An Uchiha secret," he said, looking down at Sakura. Had he been warmer and more at ease with everything, Sakura would have imagined him to smile. But being who he was, he just held a straight gaze towards her, silently willing her to spread the salve on her skin.

"Okay," said Sakura with a slight laugh, picking up some of the cream with her finger, gently rubbing it on the skin near her mouth.

It was only then Sasuke had noticed her fingers were long, almost like candles, but the calluses from handling a variety of weapons somewhat marring the delicate skin she had.

"Thanks," said Sakura, standing up as she handed him the container. "It's an appreciated gesture."

Sasuke opened his hand, reaching out to get back the salve he had given her. Automatically, Sakura placed her hand on top of his, the container sandwiched in between.

It was only then Sasuke had noticed that despite the calluses, her skin was still smooth, much smoother than his, and that her hand seemed to perfectly fit his own. A warm sensation tingled throughout his hand, hers, seeming to linger there for eternity. He only snapped back into reality when the warmth of her hand left his.

"Why don't you try to gather most of the chakra at your chest, holding as much as you can before releasing it?" suggested Sasuke, pocketing the small black container.

"But, it's different from the Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" protested Sakura, turning away. She wanted to prove herself to him. She began this training wanting to distance herself from him and simply become a friend, supporting him every step of the way. Yet, she found herself falling deeper and deeper into the endless depths of his eyes, wanting to know beyond what his face revealed.

"Just try it, okay?" he said, looking at the pristine blue waters. He remembered how his father had told him that during the first day. He refused to believe him and wanted to prove himself to him on his own but in the end, he depended on his father's words.

Walking to the edge of the river, she watched as fish danced around gaily in the fresh water, the sun glistening on their silver scales. Taking a deep breath, she began to concentrate on the jutsu she had been practicing for the entire week.

_Usagi, Ryuu, Hebi, Inu, Tora. Katon: Okibi Arashi no Jutsu!_

Releasing the chakra that she held inside her, a giant fireball appeared, spanning the width of the entire river. As the fire from her lips started to die down, a burst of chakra escaped, smashing the blazing ball into smaller tongues, the water it touched rising as steam almost instantaneously. It took almost a few minutes for the steam to clear and it revealed to Sasuke a sight he never wanted to see again.

Sakura was crying, her shoulders shaking and her head bent down.

"I… I… I wanted to… I wanted to prove my… myself," she whispered, her tears subsiding as she walked towards Sasuke. Uncaring suddenly of what she had promised herself and how Sasuke was, she leaned on his chest for support. "But it seems like I still need you after all."

"You… what?"

Sakura didn't reply as she kissed him, her eyes shut tight and her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. The Uchiha heir seemed almost shocked as they remained that way.

"I'm sorry," she said as she pulled away, her lower lip quivering. "I'm really sorry!"

Turning around, Sakura began to run away, her tears trailing behind her. Sasuke remained where he was, his fingers touching his lips.

Did she really just kiss him there? Though they had kissed a number of times, it was always he who started it, mad at her for making him feel and act that way yet, somewhere deep within him, he felt satisfied because of her.

"Really. But, that's why I lo--"

Before Sasuke could finish his sentence, his eyes widened in disbelief and his arms swung by his sides, his hands curled up into a tight fist.

"Damn it! I'm not supposed to feel this way!" he shouted, punching the ground so hard it cracked beneath the pressure, small wounds opening up near his knuckles.

It finally dawned on him what seemed obvious to everyone else.

He, Uchiha Sasuke, was slowly beginning to accept Haruno Sakura for who she was, letting her become the only person in years to be able to see this much of the Uchiha who had closed his heart and soul to everyone else that tragic day nine years ago.

**Tsuzuku…**

I would've had this edited but I really wanted to make an update for you guys.

It's been four months, after all, since I've actually finished a chapter for this and I'm really sorry! I guess all the work at school just caught up on me and all the things I do during the summer!

I'm sure I'll spend a lot of time trying to write the final chapter of Past Peripheral Vision and hopefully, when I come back home from my US Trip (April 24 to May 10), I'll be able to start writing Appraisal of the Diamond and post within a few days!

I'm actually considering to not have the Vision Trilogy wholly edited since I'm probably just the type to finish up something and post whatever I've finished, reading through it in the Live Preview, edit what I think needs to be edited then update again.

So, here's to a wonderful experience writing PPV and the final chapter of this part of the trilogy!

And if anyone wants to make a doujinshi or a web comic or something using the storyline and words from any of my fanfics, please drop me a line at rurikoshinatyahooCOM! Use the subject **Possible Collaboration** so I know what it's about! No subject, it'll automatically be ignored and deleted!

In the email, just tell me the story you want to use, what you'll be doing with it and a sample of your drawing skills or whatever-is-required-of-you skills for that particular project!

Oh and by the way, _Katon: Okibi Arashi no Jutsu_ means **Fire Element: Blazing Fire Tempest Technique** for those who are curious.

And now, I leave you with the last chapter preview for PPV! The chapter preview in the next one will feature something from AotD! It'll be a bit longer than the usual, since I made you guys wait for so long. :)

**Next Chapter:** Chapter Twenty-Three – The Jounin Exams

**Chapter Preview:** "Sakura, could you hand me the folder over there please?" asked Aya, pointing to the brown folder lying on top of the drawer. Handing it to her, Sakura offered Aya a reassuring smile for Sakura. "It's just two more weeks until the Jounin Exams! While you've been preparing for it for a year, I've been stuck finalizing the paperwork for the Sunagakure Chuunin who are coming!"

Sakura laughed as she watched Aya mourn over the paperwork. She was just like the Godaime, hating every piece of paper that was on her desk that needed to be read and signed. The flow of it never seemed to stop.

"Yeah but I'm nervous about it," confessed Sakura as she sat down in the chair nearby. Aya looked up, this time, giving the reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll pass with flying colors!" At her words, Sakura couldn't help but nod in agreement.


	23. The Jounin Exams

**Summary:** She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

**Pairings:** Sasuke/Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only things in this story that are mine are the OCs and the plot itself.

**Past Peripheral Vision**  
Chapter Twenty-Three – The Jounin Exams

Tsunade looked at the calendar, her watch, then back at the some forty, or even fifty, Jounin who were assembled in front of her. It was that time of the year and it was their turn to host it once more.

The day after tomorrow, it would be exactly two weeks until the Jounin Exams, a set of tests that were given only very rarely. And as often as it happened, there were only very few who managed to pass it. Most of the time, you could count the number of people who passed with only one hand.

"There will be five Jounin the rest of you will report to for anything about the preparations for the Jounin Exams within the next two weeks. These five Jounin will personally report to me about everything to do with these exams," spoke Tsunade, sitting up straight. "Mikizuki Aya will be in charge of the Sunagakure paperwork. Hatake Kakashi will be in charge of the Kirigakure paperwork. Maito Gai will be in charge of the Iwagakure paperwork. Yuuhi Kurenai will be in charge of the Kumogakure paperwork. Mitarashi Anko will be in charge of the Konohagakure paperwork."

"Godaime-sama, there are no participants this year from the lesser villages?" asked Gai, a rumble of low murmurs starting within the group of Jounin.

Though there were only five Kage, there were a number of other smaller hidden villages. Although those villages, didn't have a Kage among their ranks, a Jounin was appointed to take care of the way the village was run. By no means was that special Jounin anywhere near the caliber of a Kage from one of the five main villages but he, or she, was strong enough to hold the position as the village's leader.

"There are none. All of you who are training a specific Chuunin or a specific group of Chuunin, the training ended the minute you stepped into the room. Pointers or suggestions can be given but you cannot oversee the training," said Tsunade, leaning back into her chair.

"Yes, Godaime-sama!" said all the Jounin, standing up straight as they awaited their dismissal. It didn't seem like there was anything more to be discussed.

"All of you, except for Aya and Kakashi, are dismissed. I need to speak with you," said Tsunade, grabbing a thin folder, rare on her desk, as she waved them off.

As the other Jounin turned around and began to leave, the two named ones came forward, a slightly curious expression on their faces.

"What date is it today?" asked Tsunade, opening the folder and blocking their view from its contents. Clearly, she knew the date but it seemed like she wanted to hear it coming from them.

"The twenty-sixth of March," they replied in unison, a slightly confused expression on their faces. Even Shizune looked back at the calendar, something strange appearing the minute Aya and Kakashi said the date. A certain day seemed to look clearer in her eyes.

"And what day is two days from today?" asked Tsunade once more, closing the folder. Picking up a pen, she began to write big, bold characters on the folder.

"The twenty-eighth of March," said Aya as she narrowed her eyes slightly. Kakashi's sole visible eye widened in surprise at first, but softened slightly at the fact that surfaced in his mind. "What's so special about it?"

"It's Sakura's seventeenth birthday," informed Kakashi, a smile appearing beneath his mask. "Planning to do anything, Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade treated Sakura like her own daughter. Since the girl had become her apprentice some five years ago, the Godaime held a small celebration on Sakura's birthday during the succeeding years. The day after tomorrow wasn't an exception.

"Could you both just inform her friends and her family about the gathering? Shizune and I are going to prepare everything else for it. It'll be held in the conference room upstairs," said Tsunade with a somewhat motherly smile, her eyes twinkling.

"Of course, Tsunade-sama," said Kakashi with a bright smile of his own.

"Yes, yes of course," said Aya, grinning widely.

"Then off you both go to your paperwork," said Tsunade, dismissing them. "But, here, Kakashi, you'll need this." Handing the folder over to the Jounin, a slightly sly smile appeared on her face.

His lone eye drifted to the characters written on the folder, a twinkle appearing in the black depths of his eyes as he spoke out the characters.

"Uchiha Sasuke. Now what do I need this for?" asked Kakashi, waving the folder in the air.

"I don't know. Think of something. It'll be good for them to be given a little push, don't you think?"

The Next Day: Second Floor of the Hokage Tower

People were shuffling everywhere, hurrying in order to meet the deadline. Every so often, one of the villages would have to experience this sort of stress. The Jounin who were involved were so stressed out at the end of all the preparations, it seemed like they wanted to get back at those who started it all in the first place, the growing number of Chuunin in the villages.

Even the most elite of Jounin were of no exception to this sort of stress.

Gai, the almost eternally smiling Jounin, actually had a frown on his face. The Jounin who were near him had red flags in their heads, as if warning the world was almost at an end.

The usually calm Kurenai looked hassled, scrambling to get things organized and to read through everything she had to, making sure that everything was fine.

Anko was being even more sadistic than ever, threatening each one under her to extreme torture if they didn't meet the deadline the Hokage had set for them for that day.

Kakashi, well, nothing was different with Kakashi to begin with. He was sitting down, leaning back on his chair with his legs propped up on the table reading Icha Icha Paradise.

Aya was going berserk at the amount of papers she had to read through, almost crying every time even a single paper was added to her already enormous pile.

"Sakura, could you hand me the folder over there please?" asked Aya, pointing to the brown folder lying on top of the drawer. Handing it to her, Sakura offered Aya a reassuring smile for Sakura. "It's just two more weeks until the Jounin Exams! While you've been preparing for it for a year, I've been stuck finalizing the paperwork for the Sunagakure Chuunin who are coming!"

Sakura laughed as she watched Aya mourn over the paperwork. She was just like the Godaime, hating every piece of paper that was on her desk that needed to be read and signed. The flow of it never seemed to stop.

"Yeah but I'm nervous about it," confessed Sakura as she sat down in the chair nearby. Aya looked up, this time, giving the reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll pass with flying colors!" At her words, Sakura couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Such was the life for the Jounin, and the Chuunin who weren't participating, in the hidden village hosting the Jounin Exams for that year.

Yamanaka Flower Shop

As usual, due to the lack of missions, Ino was watching over the shop. On the desk in front of her, a slightly tall number of magazines lay. Glancing at the calendar, a small smile found its way to Ino's face.

"Sakura's going to be seventeen tomorrow," she said to herself, looking back down at the magazine she was holding. A stylish red and white jacket with a slightly chunky metal zipper was being displayed, its price rather expensive. "I hope she likes this gift."

Yesterday, she had spotted this jacket in the latest issue of Fire Hot Fashion. It was perfect for Sakura and it would take about twenty-four hours for them to deliver it to Konoha, one of the factories of the company some eight hours away.

As Ino continued looking through the pages, hoping to see something she'd like for herself, the door swung open. A surprised look found its way to the blonde ninja's face when she saw who it was.

"Why, Sasuke-kun, what are you doing here?" asked Ino, setting down the magazine, as a grin alighted on her face. "Here to visit me? What would Sakura-chan think!"

"I'm here to pick out some flowers," said Sasuke bluntly, pocketing his hands as he looked away, trying to find fresh blossoms that would attract his gaze. A sly look appeared on Ino's face as she heard him speak that. "They're for a grave I haven't visited in a while," he managed to lie, pocketing his hands deeper into his pockets.

"You're no fun. You know as well as I do that tomorrow is Sakura's birthday!" said Ino, slightly deflated, as she slumped back down into her seat. "Well, take your time then tell me what you'd like. I suggest you just pick the flowers then have it made tomorrow. That way, the flowers you'll bring to the grave will still be fresh."

"I'll take your suggestion on that," he mumbled, walking around. He was no flower expert nor did he want to be.

The many fresh flowers seemed to brighten when Sasuke had entered, probably trying to coax him into buying them somehow. The faint sunlight seemed to make them even more beautiful than they already were, trying to give Sasuke a reason to buy everything.

It probably took him some twenty minutes before he approached Ino by the counter, his eyebrow twitching slightly at the sight of the tall magazines. Ino seemed to catch that.

"What, can't a ninja girl have the fun of a normal one?" she defended, pushing the magazines aside as she took out an order slip and a pen.

"Whatever. It's your life. Sixteen white roses and one red rose in the center," he said as he looked down at the order slip. It seemed like the piece of paper fascinated him more than what Ino was about to say.

"That's seventeen roses. A single red rose means that 'I love you' in the language of flowers. Are you sure this isn't for Sakura?" she asked, writing down what the Uchiha had asked for in her neat handwriting.

"Seventeen is a nice number and can't a son say I love you to a mother?" he defended hotly. Ino shrugged at his reply. "How much do I owe?"

"Two thousand ryo," she said simply, showing him the order slip. Taking out a slightly thick wallet, Sasuke pulled out the exact amount she had asked for. "Just show this to me or my parents tomorrow at around nine in the morning for your flowers."

"Sure," he said curtly, turning on his heel and walking out of the shop.

"This is so for Sakura!" Ino said with a grin, pinning the slip on a nearby corkboard.

Outside, Sasuke was having another mental battle with himself.

"Now what the hell did I do that for," he thought to himself, the frown on his face deepening.

As Ino had guessed, the flowers were indeed for Sakura, the deepness of the red extremely evident in the pool of white petals.

March 28th, Evening: Conference Room at the Hokage Tower

"Happy birthday!" shouted everyone, confetti falling down as Sakura entered the room. Her family and her friends were inside, each with a wide grin on their face, well, most of them having a wide grin on their faces. The stoic people in the group were still, well, stoic.

Surprisingly enough, Sasuke was there, with a grumpy look on his face. She guessed it was because Kakashi had blackmailed him into going, or he was always like this during celebrations. Sakura guessed it was the former knowing Sasuke well enough.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!" sang Naruto, dancing slightly, as he hugged her tightly but loose enough to still let her breathe. "Happy birthday!"

"Thank you, Naruto," she replied, a smile on her face.

Sasuke seemed to be watching it but did nothing to join in on the conversation. To begin with, he wasn't really much of a people person, but, the sight flicking from onyx to crimson and back to having onyx eyes seemed to show he was jealous, slightly jealous.

"Let's get this party started!" cheered Ino, lifting up a glass. To that, everyone agreed, Naruto ushering Sakura to her seat.

All in all, the party had been lively. The adults, most of them, had gotten themselves almost drunk.

Tsunade and Anko had been playing all sorts of gambling games, which Anko seemed to be winning. The Godaime had to be restrained from breaking everything apart because of her not too surprising losing streak.

Kakashi and Jiraiya were talking to each other, both of them leaning against a wall for support, with red cheeks which probably wasn't caused by the alcohol.

Gai was giving a motivational speech about the burning flame of Sakura's youth where only Lee was really listening, actually taking down notes.

Kurenai and Aya were talking about which of the Jounin boys were actually good enough for them to date, and which of those deserved to be mauled to a bloody pulp. At that, Kakashi had been sneezing continuously, a slight twitch of concern overcoming him but nothing too grave.

Naruto was being his usual self, eating as much food as he could without causing himself to choke. Hinata was there just watching in what seemed to be rapt fascination as to how Naruto could down so many plates of food and still go on. It was like his stomach was a bottomless pit.

Tenten and Ino were talking about the latest fashion found in the recent issues of the fashion magazines that Konoha stores managed to stock. What surprised a small number of people was that Tenten was into these things. She did look tomboyish after all.

Kiba was busy crouching down in a corner, trying to nurse the bump on his head. He was making mental notes about how never to insult a female weapons master about being tomboyish.

Shikamaru, as usual, was busy playing Go with Asuma, a bored look on his face. Chouji was watching their game, a few bags of potato chips to one side, a tall pile of empty ones at the other.

Neji, Sasuke, and Shino seemed to all have one thing in consensus, keeping quiet and sitting still until the celebration was over, having a drink nearby in case they were thirsty.

And near the door, Sakura watched all her friends and her family interact with each other. They were an extremely eclectic collection of acquaintances, relatives, and friends but she wouldn't change them for the world.

Outside Sakura's House: One in the Morning

Sasuke shifted his weight from one foot to another, his right hand clutching what looked to be a bouquet of flowers. What was so unusual about this? He was just going to give her flowers for her birthday, nothing more. Taking a deep breath, he managed to take a few steps forward before jumping up to a tree limb.

"God what am I doing?" he muttered, leaning against the trunk. The bouquet was resting on his lap, the wind gently blowing away a few of the petals. Most of them had been white, though one red one, its carmine color evident against the plainness of the white, fluttered by.

It was the bouquet he had asked Ino to make, the same bouquet he had used an excuse to offer to his mother's grave. He was pretty sure his mother wouldn't have minded that he give the roses to a girl, a girl who had known him more than anyone else had.

"All I'll do is leave the flowers on the window sill, knock on the pane, and go back home," he mumbled to himself, trying to rally him on. It was a simple task but he found himself struggling to do it.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke crept along the tree's limb and did as he told himself to do. Before knocking on the window sill, he looked up to peer inside her room. He froze at what he saw. Sakura was wide awake, standing in front of the very window he was going to leave the flowers on.

The sleeve of her slightly large shirt slipped from her shoulder, revealing the smooth, pale skin of her neck. The disheveled state of her hair gave him the idea that she had just woken up. However, she was alert enough to open the window.

"Sasuke-kun, what a surprise," she said, a smile on her face. The Uchiha looked away, unable to say anything in his defense. It wasn't normal for people to be on top of a tree's limb and about to knock on someone's window.

"Here," he said, handing her the bouquet of flowers. "I was supposed to give them to you earlier but you had a lot to carry." That had been partly the reason why he avoided giving her a gift. The other part was that he was embarrassed to prove Ino right about her speculation with the flowers and give them to her in front of a number of people.

"They're, they're beautiful Sasuke-kun. Thank you," whispered Sakura, accepting the roses from the Uchiha. Sasuke nodded slowly, standing up straight.

"Well, I should go now," he said, pocketing his hands, readying for a jump. As he was about to push off from the limb, Sakura's hand gripped around the bottom of his shirt, forcing him to stay.

"Good luck for the Jounin Exams," she said softly, looking down. Turning around, Sasuke walked closer towards her and faced her, their lips just a few centimeters away from each other. "Sa—Sasuke-kun…?" A smirk graced his face when he heard her say that.

"Just… wait alright?" Closing the distance between them, Sasuke leaned in for a kiss, a kiss with less passion and more feeling, a kiss with less anger and more love, a kiss with less cold and more warmth. It was a kiss with more Sasuke in it.

Sakura's cheeks burned red when he pulled away from her, the same smirk still on his face.

Sakura's Room: Two Weeks Later

"Sakura, Sakura," spoke a voice, shaking the half-asleep Chuunin awake. "Sakura, it's today!" Groggily, the rosette haired Chuunin sat up straight, looking straight at the mirror in front of her.

Since her birthday, her relationship with Sasuke had just gotten even more confusing, at least for her. Although it was established that they were more than friends, they were certainly far away from the next level of friendship. It was like she was something more, yet something less.

"Okaa-san, don't worry. I'll be alright," said Sakura, turning to face her mother. "I'm not your daughter for nothing, after all."

Today was the day that she had been waiting for the past year. It was the day she was going to prove herself, not only to Sasuke, but to everyone who had seen her grow from a young Academy student to a Genin and eventually to a Chuunin. After the duration of the exams, Sakura hoped to be what many Chuunin longed to be, a Jounin.

**Owari**

…Did I…

…Did I just…

Did I just **finish** Past Peripheral Vision?

OO!

This fanfic took about a year to complete! And I'm pretty satisfied with the way things turned out. I hope you guys are too.

This will be my last post before I leave. Hopefully, I'll be able to post the first chapter of **Appraisal of the Diamond** soon after I arrive from the US.

It's been a wonderful experience working on Past Peripheral Vision, me being able to better my writing style and to know how to better stay in character. It's been pretty tricky, considering just how many characters there are in Naruto. Hopefully, the way I portrayed the characters is up to your standard.

I leave you now with a preview of what you can expect in the first chapter of **Appraisal of the Diamond**! Please look forward to that and I'll be seeing you soon!

**AotD Preview:** Chapter One – Arrival

**Chapter Preview:** The village was deathly quiet today, the beginning of the Jounin Exams. The civilians had enough nightmares from a particular Chuunin Exam to last them one lifetime. The Genin and the other Chuunin were shifty in their movements as they looked every now and then at the direction of the gate they were closest to.

The Jounin were restless as it had been so long since the last time the Jounin Exams were going to be held in Konoha. The Jounin-hopefuls of Konoha were all nervous for the one thing they were preparing for the past year. The sky darkened continuously, as if Mother Nature herself was feeling the same anxiety the Konoha Nin were.

Suddenly, a loud shout from the Jounin on duty came from the South Gate, a large crowd of Chuunin from the different countries all gathering. Successive shouts from the North, East and West Gates came soon after as more and more of the Chuunin began arriving.


End file.
